Falling Flat On Your Arse
by Jade Wildcat
Summary: Jubilee learns all the different ways in which one can fall on their arse. Just a short summary, please enjoy. The rating may be subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

**Falling Flat on You're Arse**

**A one-shot that just randomly popped into my head today well contemplating my own ridiculous love life. Enjoy.**

Jubilee laughed as she glided smoothly in a circle around her friends. They scowled as she spun and continued her circle backwards, still laughing as they struggled to get on their feet. She completed another circle and broke away flying down the length of the concrete rink on her roller blades. It had been a long time since she had skated and she relished the feeling of the wind on her face and the sun on her body. She breathed in the scent of hot concrete and summer air laughing again, just for the hell of it. Reaching the edge of the concrete she pulled into a sharp turn and raced back the other way in an effortless motion. She slid to a stop in front of her seated friends and grinned down at them.

"Ready?" She chirped at them.

"Sure" Kitty Pride reached up with her hands. "Help me up?"

Jubilee laughed again and grabbed Kitty's hands, dragging her to her feet. Kitty smiled her thanks and started at a wobbly pace down the middle of the concrete space. Bobby Drake pushed himself to his feet and started off after her, still slow but not wobbly like his girlfriend. Jubilee grinned down at her nearest friend, and he scowled back.

"I don't know how you talked me into this, kid" Wolverine growled as he struggled to his feet with some help.

"I didn't", Jubilee chirped "You did it 'cos ya love me."

Wolverine snorted at that.

"Right" He muttered, "well if I break something, I won't love ya quiet as much, darlin'."

"Come on Wolvie, you know that's impossible"

"Which bit?"Wolverine questioned as he started to move slowly, "Me breakin' something or me not loving you?"

"Both!" Jubilee giggled giving him a gentle push that sent him rolling slowly across the ground.

She ignored his yelled curses as she turned to her last two victims.

"You two ready?" she asked holding out both hands.

Each of the two women grabbed a hand and aloud Jubilee to pull them to their feet.

"Remind me again why I'm doing this child," Psylocke murmured as she found her feet.

"It's good for you," Jubilee insisted, "It'll help your balance and your muscle tone."

"Plus its fun," she added as she grabbed Jean to stop her from falling.

"Right." Psylocke replied scathingly, "I can see the fun in falling on my arse."

"Well if you have good balance you wouldn't fall." Jubilee informed the ex assassin.

The purple haired women sent her a glare before pushing off and gliding at a controlled speed away after Wolverine. Jubilee raised an amused eyebrow before turning back to Jean.

"You ok Red?" she asked.

"Of course, dear," Jean assured her, "If I fall my telepathy will catch me."

"Right" Jubilee let the woman go and pushed of smoothly.

She passed Psylocke easily and caught up to Wolverine. Turning to face him she grabbed his hands and pulled him round the ring slowly but smoothly, easily skating backwards.

"See Wolvie, this isn't so bad."

"Tell that to my legs, kid, their shaking like leaves."

Jubilee giggled at him and picked up the speed pulling him faster, "But don't ya just love the feelin' Wolvie?"

"Oh yeah, kid, I'm feelin' it." He deadpanned.

He had expected her to smile, but she frowned instead.

"I'm serious, Logan." The young woman sighed. "Can't you just imagine it, flying across the ground on skates? No one to stop you, nothing to worry about. Just the open air, the wind in your hair, the solid ground beneath you and the knowledge that you can just keep going."

She turned so she was side-by-side with him, one hand wrapped in his.

"I use to skate for that reason, Wolvie. I was nothing, just a scrap of a mall-rat, with no one who liked me and no family to love me. But when I was skating I was free, free to move and be myself, free to just let go."

With that she released his hand and pushed off, performing a dance of complicated twists and turns, a swirling pattern that drew everyone's eyes to her. But she was in her own world, not thinking of them anymore, knew only the movement of her blades. She started to glow softly, her "paff's" rippling over her skin. Her show ended with a flourish of wheels and she glided off slowly, smiling contentedly. A slow clapping made her head jerk up.

"Tres belle, p'itite. You are a dream to watch."

Jubilee's head whipped around to see the newcomer and she locked eyes with Gambit. Her heart fluttered strangely and she got the odd sensation of her world narrowing until he was the only thing in it. She managed to suck in a breath to reply, only to have her world uprooted a second time when her legs shot out from under her and she land flat on her back cracking her head on the ground.

"Ouch" she muttered.

"Jubilee!" Came the cry from different places around the ring.

Wolverine got to her just as she sat up and he rolled his eyes as she got to her feet.

"You ok kid?" He asked trying to hide his concern.

"Oh sure," Jubilee growled out, "I do it all the time, don't worry, I'm use to it. No harm done."

She grinned to reassure them, keeping her eyes off Remy as he came up on her other side.

"Jubilee?" Gambit questioned softly as he reached her. "You ok P'itite?"

"I'm fine Gumbo" Jubilee assured, turning to grin at him.

"You sure?" Gambit's eyes searched hers and it took all her will power not to look away. "I'm so sorry for surprising you."

"It's all good, Remy. Don't worry about it. No harm done," She repeated.

Jubilee looked down at her scarped arm and shrugged, just a little cut. She pushed off again after that, continuing to skate, though the others sensed she now wanted to be alone and they all retreated with excuses of stuff to do. All except one. Kitty waited until the others were out of hearing distance before she approached Jubilee, her skates over one shoulder.

"Jubilee?"

The small Asian girl glided to a stop beside her. "What's up Pride?"

"I'm sorry."

Jubilee just looked at her, her face blank.

"I know you're hurting," Kitty continued hesitantly. "And I know it can't be easy to be in love with him."

Something flashed in Jubilee's eyes, and then she sank to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest.

"I'm not in love with him," Jubilee replied forcefully. "I'm not in love, it's just a crush, that's all, just a crush."

"Jubilee. . . " Kitty placed a hand on her shoulder as she sat next to her. " We both know it's not just a crush. It's been going on for a while now. . . . Have you thought about talking to him about it?"

Jubilee let out a harsh laugh, "Get real, Pride. You know I'm just a kid in his eyes. I always will be."

Kitty remained silent. Jubilee turned to look at her, pain sparkling in the sapphire depths of her eyes.

"It's just. . ." Jubilee's breath hitched and she started again. "It's just when he walks into a room, I lose concentration, he's the only one there, the only thing I see. He makes my heart beat fast and slow at the same time, makes me feel hot and cold, strong but faint. And I'd do anything to make him smile ya know. Anything to make him happy and when he's happy I'm happy. And it makes no sense 'cos it should make me sad to see him smile and hug Rogue, but I'm just happy to see him happy. Until he leaves the room, then I'm in more pain than you can imagine. But I'm getting sick of sitting back and watching Rogue hurt him, and I just can't stand it anymore, Kitty."

Kitty sighed and gathered the younger girl into her arms, "I know honey. I know. But the only thing you can do is talk to him about it. He'll understand and I know he loves you."

Jubilee sighed and allowed herself a few more moments of comfort before pulling away. "Thanks Kit-Kat. But I can't tell him. It would ruin everything. He can never find out."

She pulled herself to her feet and high-tailed it back to the mansion leaving Kitty sitting and watching the girl retreat. Kitty sighed and pushed her hand through her hair glancing up in time to see Gambit watch Jubilee run inside from an upstairs window.

_**Well that's it guys, hope you enjoyed it.**_

_**Thanks and TTFN**_

_**Jade Wildcat**_


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N I had such a good reaction to this I thought I should probably continue it. Thanks for the comments guys. It makes my day when I get a good one. Here we go.**

Chapter 2: Falling into arms.

Jubilee was not having a good week. No. Correction, she was not having a good month. In fact she was having a terrible month. It all started with the rollerblading accident and went downhill from there. Take right now for example. She was lying flat on her back, in the middle of the entrance hall of the mansion. Why? You might ask. Well that's easy answered, it's because she was being completely normal and sliding down the banister of the stairs, as she does every day. When one loud mouthed Cajun had to go and call her name. So of course, she lost concentration, as she always does when he's around, and fell off, straight to the floor. Can anyone say, ouch? Because she couldn't. She was too winded to even breath let alone talk.

"P'itite?"

That same Cajun's head hovered over her, blocking out the sight of the roof.

"You ok little one?"

He actually looked concerned. Until her fist shot out and hit him in the side of the head, then he just looked offended.

"Piss off, Cajun." was all she could manage to growl out.

"Ah P'itite, dat is no way to talk. After all it is not my fault you are clumsy, no?"

He grinned down at her and she had to struggle to keep her scowl on her face. Not trusting herself to talk, she shoved him way from her and scrambled to her feet. The fact that she could do so proved to her that nothing was broken, so, with a final scowl for Gambit, she stalked out of the room.

Gambit watched her leave, his cocky grin fading. _What had gotten into the P'itite lately?_ She hardly smiled at him anymore. And he had begun to notice that she went quiet or left the room whenever he walked in. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. _Had he done something wrong?_ He wracked his brain, trying to think of what could have upset her. But nothing came to mind. She had been the same old Jubilee, until a few weeks ago. She hadn't been the same with him since she fallen over when she was skating. _Was that it? Was she embarrassed? Na, not Jubilee. Embarrassment didn't mean anything to that girl. So what was the problem?_ With a final sigh, Gambit walked outside, head down and feet kicking up puffs of dust from the ground. He didn't see Kitty Pryde standing at the top of the stairs, a troubled frown on her face.

Xxxxxx

Jubilee eyed the balls, a frown of concentration on her face. She moved her cue slightly and adjusted her position. Then she took a deep breath, checked the angle one last time and let her breath out slowly well letting the cue glide smoothly threw her hand. Perfect! The white ball hit a small red, which bounced off a small blue, sending them both into the right pockets on the table. She straightened up and grinned at Bobby who stood opposite her.

"Nice shoot, Jubs" He said with a laugh. "Now you just gota sink the eight ball. Think you can do it?"

Jubilee smirked at the challenge than eyed the table. Her eyebrows shot up and she had to resist the urge to whistle. _This could be problematic. _She thought worriedly. The balls were in an awkward position. To pull it off she would have to bounce the white ball off three different walls and hit the eight ball at just the right angle, with just the right force. _Tricky, s_he decided.

Bobby watched Jubilee closely as she bent, once again, over the pool table, her blue eyes fixed on the line up flickering as she judged the angels. He watched her adjust her position and lick her lips in concentration. His eyes were locked on her as she pulled the pool cue back. The door opened, just as she was taking the shot. Bobby had his eyes fixed on the girl and saw a shiver go down her spine and the hair on her arms stand on end. Her shot went off, the pool cue skidding off the white ball, which shot to the wrong end of the table, sinking one of Bobby's balls instead. Jubilee spun, eyes wide, to see Gambit standing motionless in the door way. Bobby saw some strange emotion flicker over her face before rage set in. She threw her cue on to the table and stormed across the room towards the shocked man in the door way. Bobby was honestly expecting her to hit him, she looked so wrathful. Gambit seemed to have the same idea in mind for one arm shot up to block his face. But she merely shouldered him harshly out of the way as she exited the room.

Bobby's eyes followed her, before snapping up to Gambits. He glared at the confused man before picking up the two pool cues, shoving them onto their stand and leaving through the opposite. Gambit stood in the door way, hand still on the doorknob completely at a loss. _What had he done now?_ As far as he knew, he was allowed to walk into a room. But it seemed that Jubilee was not the only one that had a problem with him. He scowled, _what is wrong with these people?_ He stalked out of the room, heading for the attic and the lady he knew would always be there, Storm would know what was going on.

XXXXXXX

Jubilee laughed easily from her perch on one of the roof beams.

"Seriously, Red, I'll be fine." She told Jean Grey. "I'm a gymnast remember?"

"But it is still dangerous, Jubilee." Jeans concerned voice floated up from the ground. "Come down, we can get someone else to dust the roof. It's not that important."

"I'm fine." Jubilee assured her with a roll of her eyes. "I won't fall. Come on Jeaney, let me do this, I want to help."

Jean sighed. "Fine. But if you break your neck don't come crying to me."

Jubilee giggled as the grumbling telepath left the room to continue vacuuming. Spring cleaning was going on in full force and according to Jean, the _whole _house had to be spotless. That was why, after cleaning her room, Jubilee decided to start on the roof. After all, it seemed like the most entertaining thing to do. Plus from here she could watch everyone else run around like ants. She giggled again at the thought before turning to survey the roof. It really was rather dirty and in desperate need of dusting. Why the telekinetic people in the building didn't just pull it off the roof was beyond her, but she didn't really care. Grapping her wet cloth she stood up on the beam and started to dust, humming a little tune.

XXXXX

Gambit sat up placing a hand on the small of his back and letting a groan slip from his lips. He ached all over, his knees were sore, his fingers were cramped and his back screamed at him. _This is insane_ he thought. When Jean had proposed spring cleaning he had thought it was a great idea. Now he wished he had followed Logan's lead and left town for the day. Unfortunately he hadn't had the chance. Jean had snapped him up immediately, requesting he clean his room. That didn't seem so bad to him. It was his room after all, he might as well help by cleaning it. So he had dusted, vacuumed, wiped the mirror, cleaned the windows and even polished the door handles. It wasn't so bad, he had thought and leaving his room he was even rewarded. Jubilee bounced by and gave him a bright smile before continuing on her way, humming a happy tune. He had followed Jubilee, after all if she was smiling like that then the world must be right again. He followed her right into the kitchen. Now he felt like Alice who had followed the white rabbit. Only instead of going to Wonderland he had taken a wrong turn and ended up in the land of torture, stubborn stains and cruel intentions. Jean had grabbed him as he entered the kitchen and now he was on his hands and knees scrubbing the bathroom floors. Not just one or two of the bathrooms but ALL of them. All twenty –three. Gambit stood up groaning again as his back crackled and clicked, protesting the movement. Hi surveyed the room and sighed_. Done. _He thought wearily. That was the last one and he was finally done. He left, dropping his cleaning supplies off in a nearby broom closet, in search of refreshments and a cold drink.

Upon entering the entrance hall Gambit heard singing. It was only soft and he couldn't make out the words, but it was defiantly singing. He glanced around, searching for its source but saw no-one. He frowned. _That's weird._ They were defiantly in the room, he could tell, but the voice seemed to come from all around him, not one specific place. He looked around again, searching now for hidden speakers or radios. Glancing up he almost had a heart attack. Standing high above the ground on a ceiling beam and singing happily to herself was Jubilee. He gasped silently. _What was she doing?! Did she want to break her neck?_

"Jubilee!" He cried. "What are yo' doing? Get down from there afore yo' fall!"

Jubilee jerked in surprise as his yell reached her. She spun around on the beam to see who was there drooping her rag. Upon seeing him she gasped and tried to turn back to what she was doing. But her foot slipped on the rag she had just dropped beside her and with an angry yell she tumbled off the beam.

Gambit watched in horror as she fell, seeing her grab a beam to catch herself. But she lost her grip and continued to fall. The momentary pause in her decent had given Gambit time to rush across the room and he skidded to a stop directly underneath her, spreading his arms widely.

Jubilee almost had it, she almost caught and held that beam. But no. Her hand, wet from the rag she had been holding had slipped. Now she was falling again and this landing was really going to hurt. Squeezing her eyes shut she sucked in a breath. Only to have it forced out of her as she landed solidly into someone's arms. The arms locked tight around her as she gasped, sucking in new air, her eyes still tightly shut.

"P'itite?" Came the worried question.

Jubilee bit her lip to keep from groaning and slowly opened her eyes to look up at her saviour. Gambit gazed down at her, concern etched deeply into his face_. It had to be him didn't it?_ The one person she had been trying to avoid had to be the one to save her life. She sighed internally. _God is out to get me,_ she decided. _He's doing his best to screw up my whole life, in the most dramatic way he can think of._

"Jubilee?" Gambits voice broke through her thoughts. "Say something little one."

"Put me down."

Gambit blinked. "What?"

'Put me down." Jubilee repeated. Not harshly, more in a matter of fact way.

It took Gambit a few seconds to figure out what she meant. Then he realised he still held the young woman tightly in his arms. With a start he let her go and placed her gently on the ground.

"My apologies, P'itite" He bowed politely to her and she rolled her eyes.

"What are ya apologising for Gumbo." Jubilee laughed. "I dropped on you, I should be thanking ya for not letting me go splat."

A smile tugged at his mouth. "I could hardly let you go splat, Jubilee. Logan would kill me." He joked.

Jubilee's smile faded suddenly and she turned away from him. "Yea, he would. Well thanks for the catch, Cajun. See you round."

Gambit looked on in confusion as the girl started to walk away.

"P'itite wait" he called. "I. . . "

"Remy!" The yell interrupted him.

He and Jubilee both turned to see Rogue rush into the room.

"There ya are. Ah've been looking all ova for ya, sugar"

"Rogue. . ."

"No time to talk, Hun." She cut him off, grabbing his arm. "Storm needs ya help. Come on."

"But. . ." Gambit turned to look at Jubilee, but she was already gone. He glanced up and saw the door swing shut.

He sighed and let Rogue drag him away to the other end of the house.

**OK Guys, that's all for this chapter. Let me know what you think, or what I can improve on or whatever lol. Hope you all enjoy it.**

**Over and Out**

**Jade Wildcat.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok guys. This is the next chapter ready to go. Hope you all enjoyed the last one and thanks to all who are bothering to read my poor attempts at literature haha.**

Chapter 3: Falling to the Floor

Remy LeBeau was depressed. Yes you heard right. The Cajun Charmer, the happy-go-lucky and ultimate flirt that was Gambit, was depressed. All because of a girl. And not just any girl, but a bouncy, bubblegum blowing, hyperactive girl. Except that's not what she acted like now. She was grumpy, sarcastic, smart-assed and, worst of all, quiet. Now quiet was a word he never thought he would have to relate to Jubilee. But things had changed over the past few weeks and their little firecracker had transformed into a grunting, grumbling teenager. Many of the other X-men were putting her attitude down to hormones, but Jubilee was 19 now, long past the age when 'puberty' could be blamed for her sudden change in character. And PMS wasn't known to last for a whole month.

So Gambit pondered on the question, of what exactly was wrong with the p'itite. He knew he wasn't the only one concerned. But Jubilee was normal most of the time. It was only when certain people are around that she morphed into the grouch. And to Gambit's confusion, he was one of those people. Though it comforted him slightly that Logan, Kitty and, recently, Bobby had been getting the same treatment. Yet this did not answer the question of why? And this was what Gambit had decided to figure out, starting right now.

With a determined nod, Gambit changed direction and marched off to Jubilee's room.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jubilee was livid. Where did he get off, saying that to her! It was none of his business! From now on he could keep his stupid nose out of her life or risk losing it. And, to make things worse, he was now standing outside her door, trying to get in so he could apologise. Well he could go jump of a bridge for all she cared. She was sick of his attitude and she was not going to let him sweet talk his way out of this newest insult.

"Come on Jubes! I said I was sorry. I didn't know you would take it so badly." He pounded his fist on the door.

"Go away Bobby! Or, I swear to God, I'll paff your arse to the next century!" Jubilee lay on her bed looking at the ceiling.

"Jubilee. Come on. It was a joke." He hit the door again. "Just let me in. We can talk about it. Have a laugh. Please Jubes."

"Not gonna happen Ice-Boy. Now piss off. I don't wanna talk to you, I don't wanna look at you and I REALLY don't wanna LAUGH with you." She clenched her fist as her plasmoids danced around them, unbidden.

She heard a sigh from the other side of the door. "I'm sorry Jubilee. I know you've been cranky lately but cut me a break. Come out here, let me talk to you. We can sort out what's bothering you and get you out of this funk."

_That does it!!_

Jubilee flew off her bed, marched over to the door and through it open. Bobby grinned at her then paled as he took in her expression. She glared at him, hands fisted at her sides and her plasmoids crackling around her. Bobby gulped. They were everywhere. They gathered around her hands, danced in her hair and even flashed in her sapphire eyes.

"Jubes?" It was practically a whisper.

"Leave. Me. Alone," she growled out.

He nodded, backed up and then fled down the corridor.

Jubilee shut her door then leaned against it heavily. She sighed and slid to the floor.

XXXX

Gambit had almost made it to Jubilee's room when Bobby came rushing towards him.

"Move!" snapped Bobby, shoving past the surprised thief.

Gambit stared after him in shock, and then shook his head sadly. The whole mansion was going crazy. He sighed and made his way to Jubilee's door, knocking on it politely.

"Who is it?" came the growl from the other side.

"Tis me, p'itite. Your favourite Cajun." He paused. "Can dis ol' thief come in?"

He heard a sigh and then a scrape as the girl got up, presumably from the floor. The door creaked open and Jubilee peered around it at him. She eyed him up, taking in his calm posture and hopeful expression. Rolling her eyes she moved away from the door way, ushering him in. He smiled happily as he followed her into the room, shutting the door carefully behind him.

"So, what can I do for you, Gumbo?" Jubilee perched herself on her bed and picked up two metallic balls.

"I just wanted to talk to you, p'itite" he watched her casually.

"What 'bout?" Jubilee wouldn't look at him, instead she started to juggle the two balls with one hand.

"Just anything. It seems we don't spend all that much time together no more." He sat down on the bed, near enough to touch her, but not close enough to be intrusive.

"Well we've been busy, ya know. Saving the world, plus the domestics that hit this place every other day." She shrugged. "You just get caught up."

"I agree p'itite. We do just get caught up. But that don't stop me from seeing that you aren't happy."  
He looked her over, noticing her stiff posture. "What's wrong, Jubilee? You use to tell me everything, now you won't even look at me."

Jubilee flinched at that, dropping one of the juggling balls. She turned her tired eyes to him and sighed.

"Your right, I'm not happy. But it's not important. I'm just going through a phase." She grimaced as she used Emma Frost's favourite saying in relation to Jubilee.

"P'itite this is hardly a phase." He frowned at her. "I understand if you don't wanna talk to me. I'm not your Ma or Pa or best girl friend. But...." He sighed and pushed his hand through his hair. "I'm worried. You're not yourself, and its affecting you noticeably."

Jubilee squirmed under his gaze. "I'm fine Remy. Honestly. I'm just trying to sort myself out. Get my head around a few things and just be me for once. But it's impossible!" Her voice started to rise as her anger came through. "I mean, if I'm quiet, people ask me what's wrong. Can't a girl think these days?! And I know I'm loud a lot but come on! I just wanna be quiet, but no, that has to mean something's wrong."

Jubilee leapt off the bed and started pacing, oblivious to Gambit's shocked look.

"And Bobby!" She cried. "Yes he's my friend, but that doesn't mean he has to stick his nose in my business. Kitty is haunting my every step, trying to keep an eye on me. Logan is trying to be the father type, and I love the man, but I'm not a child! But you know who's the worst?!" She spun to face Gambit.

"Rogue!" She yelled, throwing up her arms. "If that woman tells me one more time to look at the silver lining and smile I'm going to scream!"

Jubilee took a deep breath and fell silent, sinking back on to the bed and placing her head into her hands. There was a pause. Then Jubilee almost jumped out of her skin when arms wrapped around her, pulling her close.

Jubilee held still for a moment, frozen, her heart betting a mile a minute. Then with a sigh she relaxed into Remy's embrace. He stroked her hair and murmured things to her in French. Jubilee sighed again and pulled away. Remy looked at her questioningly.

"I'm sorry Remy. I just can't right now. I'm tired and grumpy. But I can't sleep, can't think, I'm even finding it hard to eat." She quirked a little grin at that.

"Shock horror" Remy said with a chuckle.

She smiled weakly at him, feeling a warm glow in the pit of her stomach as his presence affected her.

"Well" Remy stood up. "I'll leave you now. But you have to promise me one thing."

"What?"

He leaned forward, cupped her chin with his hand and kissed her cheek gently. "Don't avoid me anymore, ok chere?"

"Ok" She whispered, dazed.

She was still standing in the same place when the door closed behind him. In a slow movement she raised a hand to her cheek and wondered. _Chere? Had he ever called her that before?_

XXXXXXXXXX

The next day Remy sat at the table in the kitchen, nursing a cup of tea and trying to ignore Rogue as she chatted in his ear. He had been up late that night, talking to Storm, and now he was too tired to function. Bobby walked in, looking as bad as Remy felt, but a glare from the younger man made Remy forget any sympathy he felt. Bobby sat as far from the Cajun as he could, taking a cup of coffee to his chosen seat by Kitty. Remy raised an eyebrow when the boy avoided a kiss from his girlfriend and her face clouded with concern. His mind was distracted, however, when there was an almighty clatter from the hall way. All the kitchens occupants looked up as Jubilee burst through the door on her roller blades, taking a sharp turn that sent her skidding to a stop in front of the fridge.

"Morning!" The young woman chirped as she dug in the fridge, withdrawing a carton of orange juice.

Everyone in the kitchen watched in silent shock as the girl drank straight from the carton before shoving it back in.

"Good sleep, chere?" Remy questioned in amusement.

"Wonderful sleep!" Jubilee cried gliding over to Remy's seat. "All thanks to you Rem."

She bent down to kiss the surprised man on the cheek before grabbing a slice of toast off his plate and speeding out the door, with a parting yell off "See ya later, Gumbo!"

Everyone stared at the door then turned to look at Remy.

"What did you do?" Bobby accused.

Remy smirked, "Just worked dat Cajun charm, homme."

**Alright guys. That's the end of this chapter, hope you like it. Thanks to my beta Amber Bright-Eyes. And thanks to all who reviewed.**

**Jade Wildcat**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N Hey guys. Usual disclaimer, everything belongs to Marvel. It's taking me a bit longer to put out stories atm and I'm sorry. Hopefully this chapter is up to your standards.**

**Chapter 4: **Falling Deeper Every Day

Jubilee glided slowly down the hall way of the mansion. She knew she wasn't aloud to skate inside but quite frankly she didn't really care. She knew the professor wouldn't mind and she was bored, skating helped with the boredom. So did people, but there wasn't many of those she cared to talk to right now.

"Jubilee!"

'_Speak of the devil.'_ She thought with a sigh, turning to face the door she had just rolled past.

"Yea Pryde?"

"Can I talk to you?" Kitty asked, leaning on the doorframe of her room.

Jubilee shrugged and pushed herself back towards Kitty's room. "Sure. What's up?"

"It's about Bobby." Kitty looked weary.

"What about him?" Jubilee asked suspiciously, her expression becoming guarded.

"He's unhappy, Jubes. He misses you." Her expression became pleading. "Just give him a chance? He didn't mean to upset you. He didn't even mean to annoy you."

She cut off as Gambit and Rogue walked down the corridor, arguing heatedly in French, and then started again when they walked into Rogue's room.

"He's moping, Jubilee, and it aint pretty. Can't you just say hi to him or something?"

"Look Kitty, I get why you're annoyed, but it's got nothing to do with you. I don't want to talk to him, I don't even want to look at him." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "But for your sake I'll say something to him. It's not going to be nice, but it should make him cheer up a bit."

"Thanks, Jubes!" The older girl hugged her and beamed a smile, "You won't regret it!"

Jubilee looked after her as she rushed off down the hall. "I already do." She mumbled.

With another sigh she pushed of and continued to roll down the hall, she had just gained momentum when she heard a voice snarl out from a half opened door.

"I said NO Rogue!"

Jubilee jerked her head around to see just what on earth was going on and, for the third time in her resent memory, her feet went flying out from under her. She hit the floor with a crash, managing to catch herself before she smashed her head on the wall. Rogue's door was yanked open and the infuriated woman stood there.

"For God's sake Jubilation! You're not allowed to skate inside! Take those damn things off before you break something!"

And with that she slammed the door again. But not before Jubilee heard Gambit's protest from inside.

"Don't yell at Jubilee! This aint got nothin' ta do wit her!"

CRASH!

Jubilee winced, '_There went that vase Rogue loves'_ she thought. She shrugged and started to unlace her skates, ignoring the argument going on in the room. She was struggling to pull off her last skate when Rogue's door flew open again.

"I'm taking them off!" she insisted automatically, wrenching the skate from her foot.

A hand came down into her line of sight and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet easily.

"Come on, Jubilee" Gambit growled, towing her off down the hallway.

"Where are we going?" Jubilee questioned, clutching her skates in one hand as Gambit dragged her by the other.

"Danger room." He grunted

'_Uh-oh'_ Jubilee thought, _'this is going to hurt, I just know it.'_

XXXXXX

He dragged her right into the middle of the Danger Room, stopping only to let her leave her skates and his jacket outside.

"Computer" He barked. "User: Gambit. Requesting: safety off. Program: Wolverine, No Holds Barred."

Jubilee gulped and settled into a fighting stance, _'Yep, definitely going to hurt.'_

Gambit settled into a half crouch as the room transformed into a shady looking alley way, set in the middle of the night and during the new moon if the darkness was anything to go by. Gambit smirked, and then disappeared.

'_Shit'_ Jubilee thought, taking a smooth jump onto a beam above her, then from there into a window sill. She crouched there for a moment, listening carefully. Then with a suddenness that surprised even her she lunched herself out of the window, straight into Gambit. Of course she knew, he knew she was coming, so his fist hitting her in the stomach didn't hurt quite as much as it could of. She rolled away from him, landing easily on a beam, and sweeping her leg out to knock his feet out from under him. He jumped, easily to the beam above him, catching it and swinging his feet at her head. She ducked and caught his foot, pulling him from the beam with a hard tug.

He hit the ground on all fours and straightened, only to buckle as she landed directly on top of him, arms around his neck. He spun and shoved backwards, intending to slam her into the wall but she flipped over his head and his back collided with the wall painfully, her foot catching him in the chin as he went. He recovered, too quickly for her liking, throwing a punch at her head as she landed. She ducked, just, but couldn't avoid the kick that connected with her hip. She let her leg buckle under the contact and Gambit lunged forward, she smirked and surged up under him, flipping him over her shoulder and following through to land on top of him.

The resulting wrestle was quick but ruthless, ending when Gambit got his foot under her and pushed, sending her flying from him. She landed and rolled coming onto her feet just as he gained his. They paused then both lunged forward. Jubilee had the lower position, but she knew Gambit was a heavier and stronger. A rebellious grin crossed her face_, 'Bring it'_ she thought.

They met with a crack as her fist hit his chin, his foot slamming into her thigh. She didn't flinch, keeping her crouch and striking out with her foot. It missed and she had a moment of panic when Gambit's hands wrapped around her ankle. But training with Logan kicked in when he twisted it and she flipped, her heel slamming into his shoulder. He grunted with the force of it and let go, stumbling back. She took his moment off balance to her advantage, raining kicks, punches and elbows on him. He blocked them all, waiting and watching for an opening she was striving hard not to give him. So he took it upon himself to make one. Instead of blocking her punch, he let it hit him in the stomach, catching it and pulling her towards him, off balance. His knee came up as she came forward and she cried out as it connected with her stomach. She wrapped her arms around his leg dragging herself under him and up, pulling his arm with her. She surged up and smashed her elbow down onto his back, knocking him to the ground.

She didn't give him a chance to recover, pulling his arm behind his back. But he whipped his leg around, knocking her off, and rolled on top of her, pinning her arms above her head. Both stayed like that breathing hard. Jubilee trying not to hyperventilate over how close Gambits face was to her.

Then Gambit got up.

"Again." He growled and Jubilee climbed to her feet.

XXXXXX

Two hours later.

Jubilee lay flat on her back, coated in sweat and blood, staring at the domed ceiling of the danger room.

"You wanna talk about it?"

She tilted her head to look at Gambit, who lay next to her.

"Not really." He said with a sigh. "It doesn't matter anyway."

Jubilee frowned. "It's my fault isn't?"

"What?!" Gambits head jerked round to look at her. "No P'itite. It's not your fault. What makes you think that?"

"Cos of the look on ol' Roguey's face when I came into the kitchen today" Jubilee sighed. "I knew I should of just stayed grumpy."

Gambit chuckled. "Jubilee, today was just one of the many things that caused Rogue to blow up and dump me. . . Again." He sighed. "Me and Rogue just aren't meant to be Chere, it just took me a long time to realise it."

There was silence. Then Jubilee climbed to her feet and held out her hand to the Cajun.

"Come on, Cajun. Let's get cleaned up and then we can go to the kitchen and I'll make you up a bowl full of depression."

Gambit chuckled again and allowed the slight woman to drag him to his feet.

XXXXXX

Half an hour later Gambit sat in the kitchen, watching Jubilee rummage through the freezer.

"Chocolate or Vanilla?" She questioned, her bum sticking out as she searched.

"Defiantly vanilla, I always love the creamy skin mon chere." He drawled in an overly flirtatious way.

Jubilee just laughed, withdrawing from the freezer with the two cartons of ice-cream. "Right..." She drawled back, "well I'm more partial to chocolate. That dark, silky skin. Mmmmm."

Gambit laughed as she put on a fake swoon.

"Get on with it p'itite, you promised me a bowl of depression remember?"

Jubilee rolled her eyes but proceeded to concoct two bowls of sugary goodness, consisting of ice-cream, chocolate sauce, hot fudge sauce, chocolate chunks, chocolate flakes, rainbow sprinkles, whipped cream, raspberry sauce and strawberries on top. Gambit eyed it wearily, but took a spoonful anyway and Jubilee laughed as his eyes lit up.

XXXXXXX

They were half way through their bowls and laughing together when the door burst open, they both looked up mid-laugh and froze. Rogue and Logan stood in the doorway, looks of shock on their faces. Rogues eyes were red, she had obviously been crying. The silence built in the kitchen as its occupants' eyed each other. Then there was a sudden crack and Kurt appeared in the middle of the room.

"Ha!" He cried. "I win!"

"No fair!" Kitty exclaimed as she burst through the wall. "You teleported!"

Both racers froze as they surveyed the scene in front of them. Then there was a blinding flash of multicoloured light and everyone cried out as they lost their sight. When their eyes had cleared, Jubilee, Gambit and their bowls of depression were gone. Rogue burst into tears and slump into a chair, Logan stormed out of the room and Kurt and Kitty stood in confusion.

**OK that's all for now. You're going to have to ignore any mistakes I've made. I checked it all but my beta is busy so I'm going without one for now.**

**Thanks**

**Jade Wildcat**


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I know I haven't updated in a while. And my only excuse is that I have four fan fictions going at the same time plus my own book in the making. Just think, you could see my name on a book sum time soon! Well no you will probably see the name Amelia Hall, but still, exciting yea? Here it is people.  
**

**Chapter 5:**

Remy and Jubilee sat on the roof, their bowls still in their hands and Jubilee's hand still gripping Remy's wrist.

"Well," Jubilee grinned, "How was that for a quick get away!"

Remy laughed, "I owe you one, P'itite, dat was very quick thinking, you da best."

"Ah you make me blush," Jubilee fanned herself with one hand, "Please stop, I can't take the attention."

Remy snorted, "Right" he chuckled "But truly, thank you, Jubilee. You did really well."

***Flashback***

_Rouge and Logan stood in shock as Remy and Jubilee froze in their seats._

"_Ha!" cried Kurt as he appeared with a crack, "I win!"_

"_No fair!" Kitty burst through the wall, "You teleported!"_

_Jubilee watched them both freeze in place as they took in their surroundings, she watched Rogue's face crumble, Logan's grow red and Remy's lose colour completely._

'_Time to act', She thought._

_And so she did the only thing she could do, she clapped her hands together creating a giant flash of her paffs. Then she jumped down from the table, grabbed Remy's hand and dragged him across the room, and into the pantry, flicking a switch and opening the secret door there. She dragged him through it, making sure he kept his head low. She heard the yelling and cursing coming from the Kitchen but ignored it, pulling Remy deeper down the passage, trying to make as little noise as possible. She turned at an intersection of the passage and it slowly sloped up, then she climbed some stairs and opened a door, leading Remy in to a wardrobe. He looked around with his newly renewed sight and blinked._

_She didn't let him look for long, she dragged him out of the wardrobe, into her room, and out the door into the hall. He stumbled after her as she ran, dragging him up the hall and around the corner. Then she threw herself against a wall, forcing them into another secret passage, sliding the wall shut just as Kitty came sprinting around the corner. They froze, wondering if Kitty had seen them, but her footsteps continued up the corridor. Jubilee dragged Remy on again, up more stairs that wound around and doubled back on themselves, going always upwards. Then she paused and listened, placing her ear against the wall of the passage. Remy opened his mouth to speak but she clapped her hand over it, muffling his voice. _

"_Where could they have gone?" Came the frustrated cry from beyond the wall, "They have to be here somewhere."_

"_I can smell them Rogue" Wolverine growled, "But their smell is everywhere, it's all over the place. I can't pinpoint where they are."_

"_Try harder!" Rogue snapped._

"_This way." Logan snarled, walk away down the passage._

_Jubilee grabbed hold of Remy again, dragging him up more steps and around more corners until they came to a dead end. Jubilee reached out and pushed a segment of wall, it slipped sideways at her touch, revealing a small room, with only one window and no door. She led Remy over to the window, pushing it open and climbing out, reaching back to pull him after her._

_*_**End Flashback***

They sat on the very top of the mansion, balanced easily on the roof.

Jubilee shrugged at Remy's praise. "It was nothing"

She let go of his wrist and leaned back to eat more from her bowl.

"So..." Remy leaned back too "You really have a secrete passage to the kitchen inside your wardrobe?"

Jubilee laughed "Shocking isn't it? Now you know how I always managed to get there first every morning without waking people up."

Remy chuckled and shook his head "You never cease to amaze me."

He paused and there was a comfortable silence as they gazed out over the mansions grounds. People walked to and fro on the ground, not even realising that those they seek sat high above them.

Remy sighed "What are we going to do now, we have to go back, and they are not going to be happy."

Jubilee shrugged, "So what? That's their problem, not ours. Just enjoy the time we have here. Think about the rest later.'

And so they did, they sat talking about good times and bad, the old days and the newer ones. Life and all that had happened. It felt good for them to catch up, reconnect. It had been so long since they had been close. Or at least it felt that way. Remy basked in Jubilee's happiness, ecstatic that their rough times had seemingly passed.

By the time they came down from the roof things seemed to have calmed down. Jean had made telepathic contact once to establish they were ok then had left them be. Obviously she didn't give away their position because there were no further interruptions. She must have pacified the rest of the team though. For they were allowed to slip silently into the dining room for diner, with only a brief rumble of noise which was quickly swept up in the talk from the others. Jubilee sat next to Chamber and he took the attention off her by immediately starting a talk on some band or another, causing the older members of the team to lose interest. Remy sat in-between Storm and Jean, taking shelter with his two oldest friends. They were formidable enough to keep the rest from bothering him.

Dinner was quickly over and Jubilee beat a hasty retreat, escaping before anyone could call her back. She slipped into her room and sighed as she shut the door. She dropped face down onto her bed and stayed that way for almost ten minutes. A knock on the door made her sit up. But she didn't answer immediately.

"It's just me." Bobby said on the other side. "No-one else."

She was tempted to ignore him, but she remembered her promise to Kitty. "Come in then." She called back, turning to lean against the headboard.

Bobby slowly opened the door and peered around it. When he saw Jubilee looked somewhat relaxed he slipped into the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

"Hey Jubes" he said giving her a hesitant smile.

She pointed to a spot on her bed and he slinked forward to sit as indicated.

Once there he opened his mouth, all prepared to give the biggest "I'm sorry" speech of his life. But Jubilee held up her hand, stopping the flow of words before they could start.

"Don't talk," she commanded softly, "Just listen."

Bobby waited as Jubilee eyed him from top to toe. Never had his friend, his best friend, treated him like this. There falling outs had only ever lasted a few hours, this was important and he wasn't going to stuff it up.

"I love you, Bobby. You're my best friend and we've been through a lot together. I wasn't angry about what you said, it had nothing to do with that, but it had everything to do with the way you're acting these days." Here she pinned him with a hard stare. "Kitty loves you. She really, honest to God, loves you. She gives you everything you want and does all she can just to make her happy. But you don't treat her right. I know you care about her Bobby but you might want to start showing it.

Bobby felt shock rise up in him, _'this was about Kitty?'_

"Look you have to make a choice Bobby. Either you love her or you don't. If you do then start treating her like a goddess, if you don't..." Jubilee's eyes softened and Bobby felt panic rise in his chest. "If you don't then it's time to stop leading her on. Until you make a choice I can't be around you, you're behaviour is horrible and I'm surprised none of the others have had you up for it before now."

Bobby nodded slowly in understanding and got up his eyes glazed and his face blank. Jubilee got up and opened the door for him.

"Make the right choice, Bobby" she whispered as he left, then closed the door.

Bobby stood in the hall way for a few moments, mind spinning. Then he looked up, a determined look on his face and he marched off, knowing there was only two people he could talk to about this.

**I know, I know. Its short and it's been way to long since I updated sorry. I'm trying to get my life on track and once I do I promise I will get better at updating.**

**Wildcat**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Losing yourself**

Remy LeBeau gazed at himself in the full length mirror and frowned. He twisted his body to the side, examined his reflection, then twisted the other way and repeated the inspection. He sighed and faced the mirror front on again, tilted his chin to the side and smiled mysteriously. After a minute he dropped the smile, his expression changing to one of a lusty stare. He soon dropped that to, his face now looking bemused. He just couldn't understand it. He was still the same man, still fit, handsome, charming and extremely good at flirting. So why wasn't it working?

Gambit glared sulkily at his reflection. What had he done wrong? He had been a thief from a very young age, and stealing hearts had always been easier than everything else. Yet suddenly and unexplainably, the woman of the mansion had gone cold on him. After failing to get any reaction from the X-Woman or even any of the older students, he had gone to town. Yet even there the woman walked away, turned their backs on him, or even looked at him in disgust. So what was different?

He pulled of his sleeveless top and examined himself in the mirror. Running his hands over his stomach he felt the abs rippling under his fingers, they were still hard, perfect and downright sexy if he did say so himself. He flicked back his hair ruffling it on top. Yep, same windswept, auburn locks, falling perfectly. He tensed his arm, watching the muscle bunch, same as always. He looked at his face, slight stubble, teasing grin, white teeth. So what was the problem? He turned and examined his behind in the mirror, was his butt getting big?

"Ah, sorry am I interrupting something?"

Remy yelped, whipping his head around to face an amused young woman leaning against the door way.

He quickly smoothed his expression to a sultry look. "Of course not, ma belle, I was just stretching. Care to join me?" He added a wink for good measure.

Yet all he got in return was a snort. "No thanks Gambit, I'm good, but you go on stretching, just pretend like I'm not here."

He smirked, "Oh is that how it is? You only like to watch?"

This got a loud laugh, "Oh you wish, brother."

Remy frowned and turned back to the mirror. "Fine, go away them."

In the mirror he saw the smile vanish from the girls face. "What's wrong Remy?"

"Nothing, P'tite. Just leave, I'm sure you have better things to do."

Instead the woman took two steps into the room, pushing her raven hair from her eyes. "That's not a great answer. Come on, something is obviously bothering you. Tell me about it."

"I'm fine." Was the clipped answer, he turned and walked to gaze out his window, waiting for her to leave.

Hearing the door close, his shoulders drooped slightly at the thought of once again being alone. They shot straight back up when a delicate hand landed on his shoulder blade. He twisted, grabbing the offending hand and the other that rose in defence. He spun, pinning the woman to the wall. She stood compliantly in his grasp, completely unthreatening.

"Jubilee" He growled.

"See, something is obviously bothering you, you're not usually this jumpy, so let's sit down and you can tell little old Jube's all about it, K?"

He stared at her then sighed and released her, flopping down onto his bed instead. She sat delicately beside him, saying nothing as she examined his expression.

"P'tite, am I old?"

Jubilee tried to keep her surprise from her face. "Old?" She repeated in shock. "Gumbo you're only twenty-four. You still got a lot of living to do."

"How old are you Jube's?"

Her chin came up defensively. "I'm nineteen, you know that."

He sighed again, closing his eyes, and so missed the tender smile that lit the young woman's face. "What's this about Rem? What's got you so worked up?"

"I've lost my charm."

There was a heavy silence.

"Excuse me?" She finally questioned.

"My charm P'tite, I've lost my charm. Haven't you noticed? No matter how hard I try, no woman will even look at me now."

"Gambit. I think you're looking at this the wrong way."

He cracked an eye open. "How so?"

"Well. You might not have noticed but most of the women in the mansion... Are otherwise engaged."

The other eye came open quickly. "What?"

"Well I mean, Scott's got Emma, Jeans just not in the right frame of mind, Storms got Logan, Rogue's got Colossus and Kitty is with Bobby. Lorna is with Alex, Sage has finally hooked up with Bishop and Psylock has gone all gaga over Angle. Dazzler has run off with Longshot, Paige is dating that guy she met in town and the rest of the staff, well they've all just started pairing off. And you know what the students are like, they go at it like rabbits in spring."

A short silence followed this longwinded explanation of the relationships in the mansion. Jubilee could have gone on all day about the twist and turns that her team mates romantic lives went through, but who wanted to her that she had seen Angle kissing Paige just last night, or that Alex was getting secrete calls from Dazzler.

"What about you?"

Remy's question startled her out of her thoughts. "What?"

"What about you, you aren't wit' anyone, I would know."

"Keeping tabs on me Cajun?" She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow.

"No but you mean a lot to me P'itite, I like to keep up to date wit' dese things. Plus you would have told me."

Jubilee grinned, "That's true, and your right, I'm not with anyone."

Remy examined her. "You know, I can't remember de last time you chased after a guy. I thought you were pretty keen on Bobby once, but not anymore. And you only ever dated guys from school or town. Now why would dat be?"

Jubilee shrugged, no longer comfortable with this conversation. "Never saw anything I liked in the guys here. Guess superhero just aint my type."

"Dat seems like a strange excuses, after all Angelo seemed your type." Gambit waited for her to take the bait.

Instead Jubilee shrugged again. "Na. Not really. But where here to talk about you, not me."

Gambit lay back on the bed, hands behind his head. "I'm not so sure I wana talk about me no more."

Jubilee smiled and stroked his hair back from his eyes, brushing it away from his forehead. "Then just relax, you look like you could do with some sleep." She continued to run her fingers through his hair, humming softly as his eyes drifted closed.

xxxxxx

_Remy sighed at the feeling of her hands, so soft and smooth as they passed over his face. He breathed in and the smell of her perfume, an exotic mix of jasmine, citrus and lemon grass, washed into his lungs. He smiled as her humming vibrated through him, sending relaxing waves rolling through his body. Slowly he relaxed, one muscle at a time and the hands slowly started to stroke his face rather than his hair, moving down over one check to trace a delicate line down his throat. He tensed again, but this time it was deferent, a good kind of tense, one that said he was very aware of her touch. _

"_Remy"_

_His name hummed in his ear, barely a whisper. Her breath skittered across his check and he felt goose bumps break out over his arms._

_His eyes opened slowly to take in the exquisite features above him, framed by raven bangs that looked so soft. He bet if he touched it, it would feel like silk, like clouds, like heaven. His hand reached for her hair, and instead met one creamy check. He stroked it with his thumb, so smooth. His thumb met the corner of her mouth and he traced the outside, dying to place his mouth on her plump lips. He lent forward..._

And awoke with a start, completely alone in his room, now as dark as the night outside his window. He grabbed the clock from his bedside table. 9 O'clock. He had been asleep for a good four hours and after that dream he was as wired as ever. He let out a soft groan and covered his face with his hands, trying to scrub away the images. What was he thinking? This was Jubilee for Pete's sake. She was off limits, she was young, she was Logan's charge, she was... Beautiful. Gambit sat in shock as the full effect of his thoughts hit him. He was in lust with Jubilee, and had been for a while, only he had been too stupid to realise. This was why his flirting hadn't been working, he wasn't into it anymore, it wasn't a problem with the woman, it was a problem with him. He slapped his hands over his face again.

"Merdi!"

XXXXXXXXXXX

**Sorry it took so long, mind was else were, still kinda is, enjoy anyway.**

**Wildcat out.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Just realised I haven't updated this story lately, have been paying more attention to my New Beginnings story. Sorry guys, hope this tides you over for now.**

**Chapter 7: Spiralling out of control.**

Jubilee bolted and she would admit it if asked. She had run. And really, she knew it was cowardly, but she figured everyone would understand, if they had been in her position, they would have run too. She was out the door of the mansion and sprinting over the grounds in the quickest time to date, if she had time to think about it she probably would have been impressed with herself. As it was, her only thoughts were on getting down the driveway and out the gate before she was caught.

There was the steady thumping rhythm as her boots hit the hard packed earth of the driveway. She settled into her pace as the familiar noise calmed her. Her cut-off shorts allowed easy movement of her legs, and she stretched them to her limit. Her blue crop-top whipped around her ribs and she pumped her arms to keep up her deed sprint. She was almost there, just a bit further and she would reach the gate, then she was home free.

Yelling erupted behind her, followed by the roar of an engine and the skidding of tires on the gravel. Panic rose in Jubilee's chest and she pushed her legs into moving faster, feeling the burn in her muscles as she got closer and closer to the gate. She heard the engine roar closer, quickly covering the ground she had already sprinted. I whimper rose in her throat but she fought it down, she would face this like a women... If she was caught. The engine was right behind her now, and she almost sobbed with dread. Suddenly an arm wrapped around her waist, sweeping her up and back onto the motorbike. She locked her arms around her saviour, hugging Remy's waist and trying not to laugh for joy. She loved having friends.

"Hold on!" Remy yelled, and her grip tightened as he swung them out the gate and onto the road with a 90 degree turn.

Jubilee's hair whipped back from her face, streaming out behind her and her eyes stung as the biting air hit them. Yet she couldn't help the laugh that was ripped from her mouth, lost somewhere in their dust as they ran far from the mansion.

XXXXXXX

A few hours and countless twists and turns later, they sat, laughing and panting for breath in a nameless bar surrounded by shady looking people and not giving a damn. Her laughter slowly turned to hysteria and from there into sobs. Remy held her quietly as she cried, murmuring soft words of comfort into her ear. Finally her crying stopped and she leaned against Remy's chest, completely worn out.

"Tell dis old Thief what happened, Chere." He murmured quietly.

"Bobby broke up with Kitty." She mumbled, hiding her face from him.

"Well what does that have to do wit you?"

"It's my fault. I made him do it."

Remy's face stayed carefully composed, _did Jubilee want Bobby after all? Had he broken up with Kitty for her?_

"Now what makes you think dat, P'tite?"

"I told him he wasn't treating her right and that he should think hard about what is best and make a choice. And he did. He broke up with her. Now Kitty is heartbroken, Bobby's gone AWOL and everyone is angry at me because it's all my fault!"

Her voice had reached a distraught pitch and Gambit shushed her gently, rubbing her back.

"Femme stop yo cryin'. This isn't your fault."

Jubilee gave a chocked laugh, "How you figure that one, Gumbo?"

"Well Bobby was treating Kitty bad, non?"

Jubilee nodded, sniffing back her tears.

"And Kitty was unhappy?"

"Yea." Jubilee agreed hesitantly.

"And not even one of Bobby or Kitty's closest friends did anything about it, right chere?"

"Right..."

"See. Not your fault." He brushed it off with his hand. "They shoulda all done summat afore now, but none of dem had de guts. So it fell to you. No need to feel bad for having de courage to do what no-one else did."

Jubilee stared at him as though her world had come alive again. "You really think so?"

"Corse Chere, would Remy lie to you?"

Jubilee grinned, "Yes, you most defiantly would."

Before Remy could formulate an answer to this they were interrupted by the bartender, who placed a drink in front of Jubilee.

"Here you are Lass. That's from the man in the corner, he says no pretty woman should be so sad."

Remy and Jubilee both turned to eye the man sitting diagonal from them. He tugged at his cowboy hat, bowing his head and managing to hide his features well still looking respectful. Remy glared daggers at the figure well Jubilee smiled and nodded her head in thanks. Then to Gambit's horror she swept up the drink and took a large gulp.

"Jubilee!" Gambit tried to snatch the drink from her hands. "What you playing at girl, you can't drink that!"

Jubilee blinked in surprise. "Why not?"

"It could be spiked!"

A moment of silence met his words and Jubilee blinked in shock. Then she collapsed into laughter. Remy looked horrified.

"P'titie?" He asked alarmed.

"Calm down Rem' I'm not drugged." She flicked her fingers at the mysterious man. "Don't you recognise him?"

Gambit turned to study the man again, identifying him but looking no less tense. In fact, to Jubilee's eye he seemed to grow tenser. She chose to ignore his strange reaction and got up, bouncing across the room into the other mans arms.

"Hey cowboy!" She crowed as she was swung around, "Long time no see. Where you been hiding yourself?"

Sam Guthrie grinned down into her smiling face. "Jubes, same as always I see." He nodded to Gambit, eyeing him in dislike. "LeBeau."

"Cannonball." Remy greeted, leaning against the wall. "What brings you to town?"

Sam smiled tightly and shrugged, "Can't a man come to visit his friends?"

Jubilee snorted, breaking the intense stare the two men had been locked in. "Brother, you aint a man, you aint nothing but a hound dog."

Sam shook his head and laughed. "Defiantly haven't changed. Well I'm heading on to the school. You want a ride, love? I've got a new car, she's fast." He winked invitingly but Jubilee had already stepped away.

"Na man thanks anyway, but me and Rem are hanging out for a while. I'll see your new car when we get back."

Gambit smirked at Sam as Jubilee leaned against his side and Sam shrugged. "Ok see you tonight. You had better save so energy. We got a lot of catching up to do, you and I." He winked again before strutting out of the bar.

Jubilee tugged Remy back to their spot sitting him down and placing her feet on the edge of the table. "So now that I'm no longer having a stupid woman moment, how are you?"

Remy shrugged nonchalantly, "Me? Fine. As always."

He smiled disarmingly and Jubilee let it drop deciding not to press the point. Instead she convinced the reluctant man to dance with her, in the middle of the shady pub, in front of a collection of shady dishonest characters, all who clapped and whistled at the end of their performance.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time they got home Remy had almost forgotten about Sam. The bliss was short lived however as they were only halfway to Jubilee's room when Sam burst out of a door in front of them.

"JUBILEE! Finally! I've been waiting for hours! Come on, we're having a Buffy marathon! All night with just me, you, Buffy and junk food!" He grabbed her hand and tugged her excitedly down the hall, ignoring her attempts at speech.

She glanced back desperately at Gambit as Sam dragged her on.

"Honestly Jubes, it's been so long since we had a marathon. You can't miss this."

"Now hold on there, Guthrie." Gambit took hold of Jubilee's other hand, halting their forward movement. "De P'tite has had a big night, maybe she want to sleep. You t'ink of dat?"

"Sleep?" Sam started at Gambit incredulously. "There's no time for sleep. This is Buffy where talking about. Jubilee loves Buffy!" He tugged Jubilee's arm.

Remy watched as Jubilee blushed, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Jubilee used to love Buffy. But that was when you saw her last. It's been awhile Guthrie. People change." Remy eased Jubilee back towards him.

Sam yanked her back strait away. "Some things don't change, LeBeau. Tell him Jubes."

"Sam..."

"See, let her go. She's coming to watch movies."

"Guthrie, just leave her alone, she's tired, can't you see dat?" Remy pulled the girl to his chest.

Sam dragged her back again and Jubilee started felling like a yo-yo. Really, Gambit was right, she wanted to sleep.

"Jubilee's never tired! This is the firecracker we're talking about." He tugged her again.

"Let her go, Guthrie." Gambit pulled her back.

"Sam...?"

"Make me, LeBeau." He yanked her arm.

"Sam..."

"Don't try me, boyo." Gambit held fast to her hand.

"What you gonna do about it, Cajun?" He dragged her away

"**SAM!"**

Both men started as Jubilee exploded. "Let me go right now!"

They released their hold as though burned and Jubilee wasn't completely sure if they hadn't been.

"I am NOT a yo-yo!" She took a deep breath, calming her inner storm. "Remy's right, I'm tired. I would love to watch a Buffy marathon with you but how about we do it tomorrow? Now... Well it's just not a good time. Now please excuse me, I'm going to bed. Goodnight." She paused then stood on tiptoe to kiss Gambits cheek. "Thanks for tonight Rem." She whispered before slipping past Sam and down the hall.

Both men watched Jubilee walk away. When she was out of sight Sam rounded on Gambit.

"What are you playing at LeBeau?" He growled in annoyance.

"I won't have you manhandle the P'tite Guthrie. She was tired; she's been too stressed lately. Have your marathon tomorrow, just let her sleep tonight." He turned to leave then paused, glancing back over his shoulder. "And Sam?"

"Yea?"

"Don't ever threaten me, homme."

He stalked silently up the hall, leaving Sam to shake his head. He would get the story behind Gambits actions. Just as soon as he could find Jean, she knew everything. He set out, knowing he would find the red-head sooner or later.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jubilee showered and changed into her favourite pyjamas consisting of a large t-shirt that once belonged to Logan and a pair of Remy's old boxer shorts. Sliding down into the soft sheets of her bed she sighed in satisfaction. Her earlier upset had worn her out, sleep was the thing she wanted most now... Well maybe it was the second thing she wanted most. The first thing... Jubilee shook her head to clear her thoughts. No sleep, that's what she would do, just sleep.

And sleep she did. She fell quickly into the embracing darkness, unaware of Sam's search for answers or Gambit's thoughts as he lay in his own bed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gambit lay on his back, staring at the ceiling as images danced across his mind, the most vivid of these images involved sapphire eyes, a sparkling smile and the brush of soft lips on his cheek. Try as he might he could not push the thoughts from his head. And finally, unable to sleep, he left his bed and, wearing only the boxers he wore of pyjamas, he slipped out his window into the dark embrace of the night.

Climbing with practised easy he scaled the wall, moving soundlessly until he came to a balcony. He landed silently in its shelter, sliding open the door to the room it connected to and glided in as smooth as if he did it every day. Being careful not to make a noise he crept across the room until he could see the small figure curled up in bed. He smiled as he observed the sleeper, relief at knowing she was still there relaxing him.

"Checking up on me Remy?"

He almost leapt out of skin as her voice drifted across the darkened room. He regained his composure and chuckled. He should have known she would sense him.

"I didn't mean to wake you, Chere. Just wanted to make sure Guthrie had really left you alone."

"You didn't, I was already awake. But it's good to know you care. Why aren't you sleeping though?"

Gambit shrugged approaching her bed and sitting on its edge. "I couldn't relax enough to fall asleep, too much to think about."

She hummed in understanding. "Yea you and me both Gumbo."

He frowned, "You can't sleep? Why not?"

She smiled, though he couldn't see it. "Tell you the truth Remy, I'm kind of an insomniac, I have been for a while now."

"I never knew. How do you sleep usually?"

He heard her shift slightly, "Um truthfully? I used to crawl in with Wolvie, but... Well he's not really in the mood for my company these days."

_That was putting it politely, _Remy thought_, everyone knew Logan had shacked up with Storm and she shared his bed on most nights_.

"Ah dat is unfortunate. Is there any way I can help P'tite?"

There was a moment of silence that lasted so long Gambit thought she wasn't going to answer. Then out of the dark came a soft plea.

"Could you stay with me? Just for tonight?"

His breath hitched and he struggled to remain calm. "Of course, anything to help Chere."

She pulled the blanket away so he could slide in next to her, snuggling close as soon as he had. He hesitated, then wrapped his arms around her slight frame, pulling her close.

"Thanks Rem." She whispered, and drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

Remy prepared himself for a long, uncomfortable night. Until he too drifted off into the usually illusive hold of sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**And that's all for now. Please R&R.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A.N Hey guys. I got a few reviews on my last chapter, which kind of surprised me because I didn't realise anyone was still reading due to very few reviews. So here's the next one. Please review.**

Chapter 8: Breath it out take it deeper

Jubilee woke the next day with the sun streaming in her open window. The light breeze ruffled her hair and she blinked in confusion. Why was her window open? She rolled over to survey her room, noticing the warmth of the bed next to her.

'_Remy!' _She remembered, sitting bolt upright_. 'He must have snuck out.'_

She shrugged, thinking it was probably a good idea that no one saw him sneaking out of her room early in the morning; she could just imagine all the talk that would start. Laughing at the thought of Scott's face if he thought her and Gambit were getting it on, she rose and set about preparing herself for the day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jubilee glided down the banister, taking her time as she tried to decide what to fill her day with. Obviously she had to spend some time with Sam. The guy had been so rapped to see her she hadn't known what to do. It had been so long since he had been back, it just felt strange to look at him and not see the adolescent he had been. He had gotten older, and so had she, it just wasn't the same anymore. Still she wanted to catch up with him, she needed to talk to Bobby as well, see how he was handling things. She was going to avoid Kitty at all costs. Her roller-skates touched the ground and she pushed of gliding easily along the floor into the kitchen.

"Morning all." She chirped brightly at the gathered X-men. "What's happing today?"

Rogue glanced up and shrugged sleepily, clutching a cup of coffee in her hands. Next to her Scott sat going over a pile of notes, preoccupied, he hadn't even heard her question. Wolverine, on Rogue's other side just grunted. Jubilee rolled her eyes as she glided over to the fridge.

"What about you, Rem?" She questioned as she rummaged around for something edible in the fridge.

"Got somewhere to be today." She glanced up as he grimaced. "Sorry, P'tite."

"Ah well, you don't need help? Or maybe just some company?" She grinned at him.

Gambit laughed. "I would love company. I would bring you along, if only to save me from boredom." He sighed. "But I can't."

She shrugged, pulling ice-cream from the freezer. "Fair enough. Don't worry I'll find something else to do."

"Jubilation, tell me you aren't going to eat that." Jean breezed in glancing at the ice-cream in her hands. "It's hardly a nutritional breakfast."

Jubilee grinned at the telepath. "I won't lie to you Red, not only am I going to eat it, but I'm going to put chocolate sauce on it to."

Remy chuckled and Jean made a face, going to the cupboard to get her nutritious and delicious cereal. Jubilee made a face at the so called food and popped a chunk of ice-cream into her mouth. She sat in between Remy and Logan to eat as others flowed in. Bobby made an appearance and Jubilee kept her eyes firmly on her food, waiting to judge his mood.

"Hey Jubes." He ruffled her hair on his way to the coffee maker.

"What's up, Popsicle?" she mumbled around her mouthful.

"Not much." He sat down across from her with a cup which he spooned sugar into. "What are you doing today?"

Jubilee shrugged, swallowing her ice-cream. "Dunno. Did you have any suggestions?"

"I was going to hit the mall. Keen?" He took a gulp of his over sweet coffee and sighed in satisfaction.

Her eyes brightened. "Now you're talking my language!"

Bobby glanced around the full room. "Anyone else for the mall?"

All murmured about other plans and things to do, he shrugged, and chugged down more coffee, then stole a bit of her ice-cream. She slapped his hand away and nudged Logan in the ribs.

"Wanna go to the mall Wolvie?" she asked batting her lashes.

He snorted, "No."

She pouted, "Aw come on. We never spend time together."

He laughed, "We spend plenty of time together. But here." He pulled $100 note from his wallet. "Buy yourself something nice."

"Thanks Wolvie." She hugged him, pocketing the money.

He brushed off her thanks and stood up. "Let's go, Cajun."

Gambit sighed and stood. "Time to go. Have a good day P'tite, try not to cause too much trouble." He ruffled her hair as he walked out on Logan's heels.

Jubilee smiled after them and stretched in her chair. "What time where you planning to go Bobby?"

The Ice-man shrugged. "How bout I met you in the garage in half an hour, that'll give us time to get ready and scrounge up some others who want to come."

Jubilee nodded bouncing up from her set, "See you in 30."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jubilee took the stairs two at a time enjoying the challenge of running up stairs in rollerblades. She finally thumped her way to the top and glided along the passage to the elevator. Pressing the button she waited for the lift, fingering her hair and wondering why everyone just had to ruffle it, like she was a puppy. She sighed and blew a strand from her face; it was just normal hair, same as everyone else's so why did it only happen to her?

The lift slipped open with a soft ding and Jubilee glanced up, coming face to face with Angel. He glanced down at her and raised an eyebrow, an expression which would have most females legs wobble, but not Jubilee.

"Hey Wings," She started, "Listen, we're getting a group together to go to the mall. You wanna come?"

Warren smiled. "Thanks for the offer, but I have plans for today. Have fun though." He ruffled her hair and walked on, leaving her to pat her hair flat.

"What is the reason for this?" She grumbled as she slipped into the elevator, "If this doesn't stop I'm guna have so much static in my hair it'll never lie flat."

She jabbed the 5th floor button and the doors glided closed, leaving her to shift her wait restlessly, she hated waiting. The door's slipped open again and she burst out, crashing into a solid form as soon as she was out the door. Strong hands grabbed her, before she hit the floor and she grinned up at her saviour.

"Hi Samy!"

Cannonball winched. "Hi Jubes, mind being more careful? You're not as small as you use to be." He rubbed his ribs in mock pain and she punched his shoulder.

"Shut it, Hayseed."

He laughed, "So what's the plan for today?"

"Mall. Keen?" Jubilee gazed at him with hopeful eyes and he sighed.

"Yea yea, ok. I'll come."

"Yes!" She punched her fist in the air. "Meet me in the garage in 20, and grab anyone you can."

She took off down the hall to her room, leaving Sam laughing. He shook his head and entered the lift, on his way to breakfast with absolutely no intention of asking others to go.

'_Today it will be just Jubilee and me.'_ He thought happily.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Jubilee was down and ready with 5 minutes to go. She perched herself on the hood of Bobby's car swinging her feet, clad in her new black boots. After a minute she grew bored and tugged at her blue boob tube, making sure it sat right. Another minute passed and she fixed her hair, which was pinned up in a messy bun. She sighed and glanced at her watch. She would wait one more minute before she went looking for one or both of the boys, they should know not to keep her waiting. No sooner had she completed the thought did a door to the garage swing open to reveal Bobby.

"Yo Popsicle!" She called, waving a hand, "What took you so long? I've been waiting for ages."

Bobby rolled his eyes, "Always the impatient one. Come on, get in." He unlocked his car and slipped into the driver's seat.

"Aren't we waiting for the others?" Jubilee questioned still leaning against the hood.

Bobby shook his head, "I couldn't find anyone who wanted to go, so it's just us today."

Unfortunately for Bobby this was not the case, and he was forced to realise it when Sam barged threw the door, waving excitedly to Jubilee.

"Let's get this show on the road, girl." He drawled as he came even with her. Then he noticed Bobby. "Drake?"

"What are you doing here Guthrie?" Bobby questioned, tying not to sound to hostile.

"Going shopping with Jubilee. Don't tell me you're coming too." Sam frowned at the older man, wishing he would leave.

Jubilee grinned. "Of course he is, this was his idea, get in Hayseed, we've got the mall to hit." Jubilee slipped into the front seat and Sam got in the back reluctantly.

'_This will be fun.' _Sam thought sarcastically, unknown to him, Bobby had just had the same thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Thats all for now guys, enjoy and please review.**

**Wildcat.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A.N I am so sorry I haven't updated this story in so long. It's just one of the many things that require attention in my life. So here we go with this one. I actually had to re-read the whole story, just so i knew what I was writing before I typed this up. How bad is that?**

Chapter 9: The Awkwardness of Society's Rules

Jubilee quiet prided herself on the effort she put in during the drive to the mall. She easily sensed the tension between both men, knowing they were less than happy with the way things had turned out but she was unsure why. So she did her best to help keep a healthy flow of speech all the way to the mall. Though neither man seemed inclined to speak to each other, she managed to get them onto a few safe topics, mostly relating to the work Sam's sector of the X-men had been doing.

The man had grown up well and was now helping Emma Frost and Sean Cassidy, Jubilee's old teachers, run the other school. He told Jubilee a few interesting tales of what the students had been getting up to well she was gone and he delighted in her laughter and amusement at the thought of the children driving Emma wild. Jubilee managed to quiet exhaust herself by both, pretending to be enjoying herself at all times and keeping the conversation on safe topics that would limit the chance of the boys arguing. Needless to say she was extremely relieved when they finally got to the Mall and she was out of the car in a shot, urging the boys to hurry.

To her confusion, both men seemed happy to oblige her requests. She was beginning to be suspicious. People never paid this much attention to her, let alone two men at the same time. Yet she kept her suspicions to herself, grabbing the hands of the boys instead, dragging them towards her favourite clothes shop.

"You have to help me pick out a new dress." She told them delightedly, it wasn't often she got male company at the mall. "There a party coming up and I want to wear something amazing."

"You always look amazing, Jubes." Bobby said with a laugh. "Remember Logan's last birthday?"

Jubilee rolled her eyes and laughed at the memory. She had worn a rather risqué outfit that had made Logan try to force her to change. Needless to say she hadn't.

"Or that Christmas when you got Rogues present early." Sam added, not to be out done and having a rather fond memory of the emerald dress Rogue had sent her.

"And Strom's tea party the other month." Bobby said loudly, trying to oust Sam.

"That time at Rogues place." Sam laughed, remembering more and more.

"Okay, Okay!" Jubilee raised her hands in defeat as they entered the shop. "I get it. But this is different. I'm older now. I want to wear something that speaks of maturity, not attention seeking. Ya know?"

Bobby grinned at her. "Oh really, so sophisticated like Jean?"

"Uh." Jubilee frowned. "Na not like Jean, she's to straight-laced."

"Then slutty like Emma?" Sam questioned, not liking that thought.

"No way!" She cried, scanning the racks of the shop. "I said NOT attention seeking."

"Then maybe classy like Storm?" Bobby offered, liking that a lot more.

"Na." Jubilee sighed. "I couldn't pull that off."

"So how about like you?" Sam asked squeezing her shoulder's in a hug. "You've got all the sign's of maturity, Jubes. Your style is fine, just find something that speaks to you, no one else."

He glanced around and pulled out a little black dress. "How about this?"

Bobby pulled out a Sapphire dress at the same time and offered it to the girl. "Why don't you try them on?"

"Sure!" Jubilee took both dresses and marched them towards the changing room, trying on the black on first.

It was simple, one sleeved and cut high up her thigh. It clung to her slim curves like a second skin and she had to admit it looked nice but she wasn't sure if it was really what she was looking for. She whipped back the curtain and did a little spin for the boys, silently asking their opinion. She was surprised at the aghast look on Bobby's face and Sam's slightly glazed expression.

"No?" She questioned.

"No!" Bobby choked out, hating the thought of people seeing her in something so revealing.

She slipped the curtain closed again quickly not hearing Sam's soft sigh of disappointment, or seeing Bobby's hard glare. The Sapphire dress went on in place of the black and she slipped the curtain open again, revealing her new look.

"I like it." Bobby said quickly, hoping she would pick it.

Jubilee rolled her eyes. The dress was down to her ankles and cut high on her neck revealing little to no curves. She felt quiet nun-like.

"No." Sam said with a grimace.

"I agree." Jubilee slipped the curtain shut again.

The next few hours consisted of many, many dress changes, yet none of them passed the test of all three's opinions. They were all either, too long or too short. Too low cut, too high cut, too big, too small, too bright, too cute, too slutty, too odd, too sparkly, to dull. The men where slowly losing hope of ever finding something when Sam picked up a dress they had yet to find. It had been shoved into a corner, behind a lot of new stoke and seemed to be the only one of its kind left. He held it out to Jubilee.

"How about this?" He asked hopefully.

Jubilee eyed the dress critically before taking it and moving to try it on. "Where was this?" She asked as she pulled off the red dress she had just tried.

"It was in the corner." Sam answered, sitting wearily on a chair as he waited for her to come out.

"Are there any more?" She questioned, cheeking the size. "It's a size too small."

"No, that's the only one left." He confessed, feeling defeated. "But try it anyway."

"Ok."

Sam and Bobby both waited quietly, listening to the scuffing and bumping coming from behind the curtain.

"Are you ok?" Bobby asked after a few minutes.

"Yea." Jubilee sounded slightly breathless. "Give me a second, it took me awhile to figure out how to put it on."

There was a pause.

"How hard can it be?" Sam asked Bobby quietly. "It just a dress."

"I'll tell you what." Jubilee snapped, having heard his comment. "How about you try it on after me and show me how it's done?"

"Sorry." Sam answered sheepishly, ignoring the shop assistants snicker.

Finally the curtain whipped open and the boys glanced up. Three gasps issued from three open mouths as the men and the assistant all took in Jubilee. The dress was strapless, and dark Sapphire, clinging to her frame from her chest to her upper thigh. There was a large split from her cleavage to her belly button leaving the top of her chest covered but still showing skin. The skirt clung tight but was covered with a semi-opaque layer that split into long ribbons that flowed down her legs.

Bobby's eyes popped open and Sam half choked on his own breath well the assistant bustled forward, tugging and puling at the dress to set it straight.

"It's a bit small." Jubilee confessed to the tutting woman, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hmmm." The assistant hummed in consideration. "You would be surprised. I think it fits you perfectly. You look stunning."

Jubilee beamed. "Really?"

"Of course, dear." She smiled. "You have the perfect figure for this dress, not many could pull it off. It's mature, but fun and still shows skin. It seems exactly right."

Jubilee's eyes glowed with happiness and she quickly bounced into the changing room to change back into her own clothes. She was soon paying at the counter, the two relived men at her side. They gazed in surprise as she passed over the $100 note Wolverine had given to her and got no change back from the woman. They left the shop quickly after that, Jubilee dragging the two shocked men with her.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Three hours later found the group sitting at a cafe, sipping hot drinks while Jubilee exclaimed over her new dress, the shoes to match, that had taken another hour to find and all the bits of jewellery she had picked up to go with it. Her outfit was now complete and the two men were thoroughly exhausted from her little spree. They all sat in a few minutes of silence, each wrapped up in their own thoughts as they contemplated where to go next. Jubilee had given control over to the males now that she had brought everything she needed.

"So what's it for?" Sam asked suddenly, making his companions jump slightly.

"What's what for?" Jubilee questioned, glancing at him over her cup of hot-chocolate.

"The outfit." Sam gestured to her bags easily, having realised she hadn't told them what the occasion was. "What's the party for?"

"Remy's birthday." Jubilee said, as though it was obvious. "It's in two weeks. Didn't you know?"

"You brought that dress for Remy?" Bobby exclaimed, chocking on his drink.

"Don't be stupid." Jubilee answered, rolling her eyes and hiding a sudden blush. "I brought the dress for me, no one else."

She jumped to her feet suddenly, feeling the urge to be moving again rather than sitting here discussing Remy. After all there was nothing to discuss. Remy was Remy, her friend, her partner in crime, her solid confident. There was nothing else. There was only friendship, or at least that was what she was trying to tell herself.

"Let's get this show on the road!" She chirped, dragging Sam up by his hand. "We're burning daylight guys."

Sam laughed, letting himself be pulled to his feet and wrapping his arm around Jubilee's shoulders, ignoring the glare Bobby sent him. "Where did you want to go now, princess?" he questioned easily.

"Nah." She objected with a grin. "You guys are in charge now. Where do _you _want to go?"

"I duno." Sam drawled, smirking over at a furious Bobby. "What do you think Bobstar? Anywhere you want to go?"

"How about a movie." Bobby offered with a mischievous grin, eyes glinting with slight malice at Sam.

"Sounds great." Sam grinned back, teeth slightly bared.

"Great!" Jubilee chirped, completely missing the tension between the two. "Let's go."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jubilee bounced easily through the doors of the mansion, talking excitedly about the movie they had just seen. The two men followed her somewhat less energetically, glaring and shoving each other when they thought she wasn't listening. All through the movie they had been striving to hold her hand, wrap an arm around her shoulders, even hug her if she got a fright. Unfortunately this was Jubilee they were dealing with, she never got frights, she was always jumping up and down in her seat when things got interesting and any attempt at hand holding was seen as a request for more popcorn or coke. All in all it had been a total disaster and Jubilee was completely unaware of it all.

At least that's what they thought. Jubilee was actually very aware of their odd attitude and completely sick of it. She didn't know why they were acting so strange but she wished they would stop. She missed the days where they used to just hang out and have fun with none of this underlying tension. Secretly she wanted to get away from the two for a while, they were driving her insane, but she could see no easy way out of the situation and so she followed them into the rec room for an hour of torture and pool.

"Don't miss Jubes." Bobby teased as he watched her line up a shot. "You miss and I win."

"Yea, yea." She snipped, rolling her eyes. "Keep trying to distract me. It won't help you at all, I've won."

She took her shot easily, watching the black ball bounce easily into the pocket, just like Logan had taught her.

"And that's how a Master does it." She smirked at Bobby.

"And Jubilee wins again!" Sam crowed, laughing at Bobby's defeat. "Never mind Bobby, there's always next time, or maybe the next."

He laughed again, causing Bobby to glare his way and shove his pool stick back into its holder a little rougher than was needed. Jubilee sighed and placed hers away too, wishing someone would save her from the two.

"Shut up, Sam." Bobby growled at the still laughing blonde. "It's not like you better her either."

"What's so funny." Growled a voice from behind Jubilee and she turned to see Logan and Gambit coming her way.

"Wolvie! Remy!" She ran to hug them both, thanking anyone who was listening for sending the two to her side. "I'm so glad your he- Back!"

She quickly changed her words, not wanting to offend the two men she had spent the day with.

"How did your mission go?" She asked eagerly, hoping for a way out of her current problem via her two favourite men.

"Fine." Wolverine grunted, moving off towards the door. "I'm going to go clean up, see you at dinner, kid."

Jubilee watched him in panic before turning big pleading eyes on Remy, surely he would get her out of this. Gambits raised an eyebrow at her, before glancing up at the two men who had flanked her as she had greeted her two friends. He didn't like the way they were watching the girl, like they wanted to snatch her away. Remy wrapped an arm around the petite woman.

"Come on, Chere." He said easily, staring g her towards the door. "I'll tell you all about it. See you guys later." He added, waving to Bobby and Sam, leaving them no room to follow.

Jubilee moved away under Gambits direction, wrapping an arm around the waste of her saviour. She was safe and she was with Remy, thank God.

**XXXXXXXXX**

**And that's it for now, enjoy :D**

**Wildcat**


	10. Chapter 10

**A.N sorry for the lack of updating. I am figuring out a new schedule so I can update all of my stories more often and in a set order. So now chapters should come out every two weeks at least. Hopefully anyway.**

**Chapter 10: Drifting away**

Remy kept his arm tight around Jubilee as they made their way to his room. Jubilee was grateful for his rescue and content to be held by her long time friend. She didn't even care that he was sweaty and smelly from his mission, she clung to him just the same. She only let go once the door to his room closed behind them and Remy released her to rummage thru his draws.

"Thanks for the save, Rem." She said gratefully, flopping onto his bed dropping her bags on the floor. "If I had to spend another minute listening to those to argue I'd have gone crazy."

Gambit chuckled softly, pulling his damp shirt over his head and dumping it in the clothes hamper. "Hard day, P'tite?"

"You have no idea." She answered, trying to ignore the sight of his bare chest. It had never bothered her before. "I thought shopping was suppose to be fun, it seems they had others ideas."

"Well, I'm going to have a quick shower." He told her, gathering up some clean clothes and making his way to the en-suite. "You stay right there Chere. I'll be back and you can tell Gambit all about it."

She nodded easily content to lie on his bed with her feet dangling off the edge. She heard the door close and the shower start, smiling as Gambit started humming a random tune. It was strange how all the male x-men seemed to sing in the shower. Logan did too. Her thoughts drifted easily as Remy got clean, her mind focusing first on what a disaster today had been and next on how much better it could have been if Remy had come along. Her mind slowly drifted from there to Remy himself, her best friend Remy, saviour of her sanity on many occasions and constant supporter. Remy had never once doubted her, in fact he nearly always backed up her every idea with his own. Sweet Remy, who comforted her when she needed it, tough Remy who always pushed her to her limit in the danger room. This was how it had always been. So why were things changing? Why was Jubilee feeling unsure and flustered around her oldest friend? Why did her heart skip a beat when she heard his voice?

She shook her head quickly, trying to get her mind off how she was feeling, she would have time to figure it out later. Instead she pondered what to get him for his birthday. Sure she had seen plenty of things that Gambit would like, but she wanted to get him something special, something unique, something no-one else would know that he even wanted. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted as the door to Gambit's room swung open suddenly, causing Jubilee to sit up in surprise.

"Remy." Rogue started waltzing threw the door. "We need to-"

She cut herself off as she stared at Jubilee, who still sat on Gambit's bed, eyes wide and her hair looking ruffled. Green eyes widend slightly before Rogue smiled tightly, eyeing the girl in what she obviously thought was a friendly way.

"Jubilee." She said softly. "What are you doin' here, Sweet Pea?"

"Uhh..." Jubilee glanced at the closed door which hid Gambit, feeling rather uncomfortable. "I was just-"

"Alright Chere." The door flew open, revealing a washed Remy clad only in a pair of loose pants, with a towel draped over his shoulders. "Where were we- Rogue? What are you doing here?"

He halted halfway across the room on his way to the bed. Rogue raised one delicate eyebrow as she took in his attire before turning to an uncomfortable looking Jubilee. She smiled slyly and walked slowly across the room, not taking her eyes off Gambits body. She shot Jubilee another look before tilting her head and giggling softly.

"I don't suppose you could excuse us, Jubilee?" She murmured. "I wanted to talk with Remy."

"Now hold on." Gambit raised his hands, almost as if he wanted to push Rogue away. "I don't know what you want Rogue, but me and da P'tite were in de middle of somet'ing. Maybe you could come back later, no?"

"No." Rogue frowned at Remy, eyes confused. "We need to talk now, sugar, it can't wait."

"What's so important that you can't wait a couple of hours?" Jubilee spoke up, deciding that Remy didn't want the woman here.

"That is between me and my boyfriend, Sweet Pea." Rogue answered, reaching out to stroke Remy's shoulder softly.

"You broke up!" Jubilee shot back, eyes flicking to Remy to see his reaction.

"Oh Jubilee." Rogue laughed. "Me an' Remy break up all the time. But we always make up, don't we sugar?"

Both women turned to look at Remy, waiting to see what he would say about all this. Jubilee was unsure exactly where she stood in this little fight. On one side, she was Remy's friend and they were having their own conversation, but Rogue had been Gambit's long time lover, or as much of a lover as she could be while being unable to touch him.

"What's dis 'bout, Rogue?" Remy questioned, his red eyes weary as he surveyed his ex. "We broke up, dat's dat, there's not'ing more to talk about."

"Jubilee." Rogues eyes stayed locked on Gambits. "I ask again, please leave."

"Umm." Jubilee slipped off the bed, taking a few steps toward the door. "Don't worry about me Rem' we can continue our conversation later. You have more important things to do it seems."

"Chere wait." Gambit reached out a hand to stop her. "You're more important P'tite. Rogue can wait."

"What!" Rogue glared at the man. "We have to talk now! Jubilee, for the last time get out!"

"I'm going already!" She protested, glaring back at the angry woman. "Take a chill pill, Rogue, not everything revolves around you. Come find me when your free Remy, I'm sure I won't have to wait long."

"Jubilee!" But she was gone, shutting the door behind her and leaving Remy with his ex-girlfriend. "Why you do that, Rogue? Da P'tite was here cos I wanted her to be, there was no reason to yell at de girl."

"But Remy." Rogues bright green eyes were wide with confusion. "I came here to apologise, I miss you Rem', I want us to be together again."

"Rogue." He sighed and pushed a hand through his still damp hair. "Come on, girl, we been kidding ourselves. How long have we been trying to make this work only to have one problem after another come up? We gota face it Chere, we will never be right for each other. It's time we ended this."

"But Remy." Her eyes filled with shocked tears. "This is us we're talkin' about. It's always been us! Why have you suddenly given up, you always fought for us. Is it another girl? Is it Jubilee?"

"Would you listen to yo'self!" Remy growled angrily. "It's not another woman, it's defiantly not Jubilee, de P'tite is just a child."

"Not anymore she isn't." Rogue grumbled, blushing slightly at her accusation. "Sweet pea has grown up. She's a woman now, a pretty one at that. We both know Bobby and Sam have been hounding her every step, what's to stop you from jumping on the band wagon?"

"Jubilee doesn't need me chasing after her." Remy snapped back, annoyed at her words. "She needs a friend right now, and I've always been that for her, don't try blaming our problems on her and wrecking what we have. She needs me, more than you ever did. Leave Rogue. I don' wanna talk to you right now."

"I'm sorry Remy." Rogue bowed her head, making her way towards the door. "I never realised how much of a struggle our relationship was for you. Excuse me."

Rogue rushed out the door, the tears she had held back starting to pore down her checks. A sigh passed Remy's lips but he flopped onto his bed instead of following her. Rogue would live and get over it. She would have a new partner in a few months, of that he was sure. She was more attracted to the thrill of dating him, rather than him. He sighed again, eyes squeezed shut as he tried to push Rogue from his mind. His foot hit something on the floor as he stood and he glanced down, spotting Jubilee's shopping bags. A smile tugged his lips and he bent to pick up the bags, dropping them on his bed. He should go find the P'tite and give her them back, they needed to continue their conversation anyway. Pulling a shirt over his head he gathered up his cards, shoving them in his pocket before sweeping up the bags and leaving the room. Where would she be now?

XXXXXXXXXX

Jubilee was in her own room by then, having decided to take a shower, after all she had had a long day. Humming with happily at the feel of the hot water relaxing her tight muscles, she stretched, standing on tip toes to reach the roof. Of course, as short as she was, it was impossible, but she always found herself trying, almost to see if she had grown. She hadn't, but there was no harm in wishful thinking right? She sighed as she landed on flat feet, reaching up to push her wet hair back from her face. She wondered how Gambit was going with Rogue. She wondered if they were going to get back together and she tried to ignore the tight feeling in her chest at the thought of him being with her again. What was wrong with her, she never felt like this. Could she be in love with Gambit, like Kitty had said?

She paused only a moment to contemplate this, before she laughed at herself. No this was _Gambit _she was talking about, her best mate sure, but not the love of her life. She shook the thoughts from her head and concentrated on getting clean. Twenty minutes later she shut of the water and wrapped a towel around herself, drying off before she entered her room to put clothes one. She swung open the door, strutting into her room and yelped in surprise to see Remy sitting on her bed.

"Rem!" She cried, gripping her towel tighter to cover herself. "What are you doing, trying to give me a heart attack?"

She scowled as Gambit chuckled, tucking her towel around her thin frame, trying to hide her body and her embarrassment.

"I'm sorry chere." He smirked cockily. "Would you like me to leave well you change?"

"Don't bother." She scooped some clean clothes from her draws and stalked back to the bathroom. "I'll be out in a second."

She dried and changed in record time, taking a quick look in the mirror to make sure she looked ok before she threw open the door and re-entered her bedroom. Gambit smiled at her, his cocky grin appearing almost knowing as he observed her. Her bags sat at his side and she grew nervous, wondering if he had seen the dress.

"I brought your bags, P'tite." He said, picking them up and starting to look inside the first one. "What's in them anyway?"

"Don't look!" She launched her way across the room, landing next to him and snatching the bags from his grip. "It's a surprise."

"A surprise huh?" Remy, slung an arm around her shoulder. "A surprise for moi?"

"Maybe." Jubilee answered with a cheeky grin, she got up to tuck the bags into her wardrobe. "Or maybe for someone else."

Gambit chuckled. "You a tease chere."

Jubilee shrugged easily and slipped back onto the bed next to him, looking at him questioningly. "When did I start being a _Chere_ Rem? I thought I was always just _P'tite_."

"Well you aren't little any mo' Chere." Gambit smiled, slipping his arm about her shoulders again and squeezing gently. "Sam and Bobby have already realised dis, no? I guess I figured it out a while ago, I just didn't want to admit dat my little friend had grown up."

"Aw Remy." She grinned and pushed him gently in the chest. "You're making me blush. I'm not that grown up, I'm still the same ol' Jubes."

He chuckled easily and ruffled her hair. "Sure you are P'tite. Now you just have adult problems, like unwanted suitors."

She pulled a face, flopping back to lie on the bed. "Yea about that. You couldn't just pull a Logan and tell them to back off could you? I mean I'm all for romance and love and yada yada yada, but not with _them_. I mean they are like, my old buddies ya know? It would be so wrong and weird."

He laughed heartily. "Sorry, girl. I think it's time you started dealing with your own problems. Logan and I are not always going to be able to bail you out. Like I said, you're all grown up."

"Thanks Gumbo." She grumbled.

"Aww P'tite." He laughed again, wrapping his arms around the sulky girl. "You know we are here if you need it. But the boy's, they won't listen to dis ol' thief. You gonna have to handle it yo'self. Me interfering will just make it worse."

"I know." Jubilee sighed heavily. "And really, romance and lust and love, well it aren't the worst thing in the world, everyone has to have fun. But they are just not my type."

"Really?" Remy drawled, trying to sound nonchalant. "So what is yo' type Chere?"

She shrugged and laughed easily. "I dunno, Rem. Defiantly not the normal anyway. I mean Sam and Bobby are bother handsome, blonde, blue eyed and tall. They are funny, sweet, open and honest. But it's just not what I want. I want someone fun, exciting, someone who can make me feel really loved and alive. I want someone different."

"Well let me know when you find him Chere." Remy chuckled.

She turned to stare into his red eyes, face contemplative. It changed suddenly to her usual carefree look. "Sure thing Rem. So what about you, what's your type?"

"Well that's a hard question." Remy admitted, looking thoughtful. "Once upon my type was strictly blonde's with large chests. But then it turned to strong willed woman with even stronger powers. Now days? Well your guess is as good as mine P'tite. I don't know anymore."

"Well I gota say, Cajun." She smirked. "I hope your taste has improved a bit. Your last few consorts weren't the best idea."

He smiled and leaned back on her bed, hands behind her head. "You're telling me _Chere_. So, why don't you tell me exactly what happened today?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**And that's all for now. Hope you enjoy it.**

**Wildcat out.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A.N ****I know, so long since I updated. I'm truly sorry, I have a new job and a new baby brother and lots of other things going on. So here is a long overdue chapter.**

**Chapter 11:**

Jubilee spent the next couple of days avoiding more people than she had thought possible. She managed to duck and squirm out of any situation that would leave her alone with either Sam or Bobby and she flat out ran from Rogues view as often as she could. Jean, too, was on her to-be-avoided list, but more because she was worried about what she would pick up in her thoughts than anything else. She didn't have to worry about the professor, as he was far too busy to worry about trivial things like her love life.

Storm however was not too busy and far too perceptive for Jubilee's liking, so she too was to be avoided, unless there was a group of people. Unfortunately this meant spending less time with Gambit and Logan, both of whom often spent time with the silver haired goddess. And so Jubilee was forced to spend time with the likes of Kitty, Paige and Lorna, all lovely people in their own right, but not the company she was really looking for.

It was because of these events that Jubilee to be found swimming long laps of the school's Olympic sized pool on a Friday afternoon, instead of being out with the rest of the young x-men. She found the water soothing, helping to clear her thoughts as she focused on her free flowing movements through the water. She was a decent enough swimmer, not Olympic standards obviously, but she had perfect her barrel roll and found she was fairly adequate in the water.

Stopping for a breather, Jubilee leaned her arms against the side of the pool and prepared to hull herself up. Instead she started and almost inhaled water in surprise as an outstretched hand appeared in front of her. Her eyes travelled up the hand to the person that owned it and she reached out to accept the help. Psylocke pulled her easily from the water and helped her to gain her balance as her feet met the concrete.

"Thanks." Jubilee said easily, reaching up to push her hair from her face. "Sorry if I was in your way, I was just finishing."

"You weren't in my way." Psylocke informed her easily, smiling as warmly as she knew how. "I wanted to talk to you actually."

"Oh yea?" Jubilee questioned, she walked over to where her towel was lying on a seat and started to dry herself off. "About what?"

"Well as you know its Gambit's birthday soon." She started slowly. "And I'm... Well I'm having trouble deciding what to get him. I came for your advice on the matter."

Jubilee turned to look at her in surprise, wondering if she was joking, only to see a completely serious Psylocke looking back. And that was how Jubilee found herself spending the next few days in the company of the mind reading ninja, going over birthday plans for one of the few people they both cared about.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jubilee sighed as she flopped down onto her bed a content, yet exhausted expression on her face. It was four days until Gambit's birthday and she had finally finished putting everything together for his present. After helping Psylocke find the perfect present for Remy Jubilee had then enlisted the woman's help in finding another for her to give. The two women had worked surprisingly well together and Jubilee had gained a new appreciation for the aloof yet interesting psychic.

The door to Jubilee's room flew open, making the girl jerk upright with a shriek, she quickly used her foot to push the collection of bags at her feet under the bed and gazed wide eyed at Sam Guthrie .

"Sam!" She gasped in shock. "What are ya tryin' to do, give me a heart attack?"

"I'm trying to find out why you're avoiding me!" Sam cried back, an easy grin lilting his face. "Come on Jubes, I've hardly seen you all week. Come hang with everyone, we're all getting ready to watch a movie in the wreck room."

Jubilee hesitated instantly and a flash of hurt crossed Sam's face. He opened his mouth to say something and she cut him off quickly, by jumping up and latching onto his arm.

"Sounds great!" She chirped, not wanting to upset her friend. "Sorry I've been so elusive lately, I've been working with Betsy on some top secret shit and blah blah blah. So as long as you don't mind if I fall asleep half way through the movie out of sheer exhaustion then were good."

Sam's smile instantly returned, he had obviously brought her lie and he grabbed her hand, impatiently dragging her towards the door.

"Then let's go!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Time's awasting."

Jubilee bit back a sigh and followed him from the room, casting one brief glance at her bed before she closed the door behind her. She was in for a long night.

Upon entering the wreck room, Jubilee was greeted with a pleasant surprise, not only were some of the students there but some of the other X-men were too. More importantly, Gambit was there. Upon seeing her friend Jubilee instantly perked up and moved to make her way through the group of people only to come to a halt when she realised Gambit was not sitting alone, Rogue sat at his side. She instantly veered away from his direction, moving to the other side of the room, a confused Sam trailing behind her. She plopped down next to Paige, with a grin of greeting, not even noticing that Sam sat close beside her. She was too busy trying to fight down the strange despair that had risen within her at the sight of Rogue hanging off Gambit's arm.

Glancing past Sam she snuck a look at the couple only to see Remy standing and shaking his head at the emerald eyed woman with a frown. His lips moved, to quickly for Jubilee to lip read and she couldn't hear what he had said over the bubbles of noise and chatter that rose from the other's in the room. His step back, however, informed Jubilee of what he might be saying and she quickly raised a hand , encased in her plasma, to get her friends attention. Remy's quick eyes immediately caught the glint and flash of her powers, even in the crowded room, and he turned to her immediately. He raised an eyebrow at Sam's arm, which had already worked its way around Jubilee's shoulders and then surveyed Bobby, who sat on the couch just behind Jubilee's spot on the floor. She begged him silently and her puppy dog eyes must have won out as he slowly made his way through the crowed to her side. He bowed low to Paige, throwing in a wink that made the older girl blush.

"Mind if I sit there, Ma Belle?" He asked smoothly, eyes glowing softly.

"N-No." The blonde stuttered, shifting to make room for him next to Jubilee.

"Merci." He said smiling at her so charmingly Jubilee swore she swooned.

Remy sat gracefully in-between the two girls, immediately wrapping his arm around Jubilee's waste and Paige's shoulders. "So what movie is on tonight, Chere?"

"Not sure Gumbo." Jubilee mused easily, leaning against Gambit as she turned to look at Sam. "You know, Hayseed?"

Sam winced at the nickname but grinned none the less, tightening his arm to draw her closer. "I have no idea, I just came because it sounded like fun."

"I know." Bobby had lent down from his seat to join in the conversation, his hands rested on Jubilee's shoulders to keep his balance, effectively loosening Sam's hold.

"Well are ya going to tell us, Popsicle?" Sam drawled, rolling his eyes. "Or are you going to leave us in suspense?"

Bobby rolled his eyes back but smirked. "I'm going to leave you in suspense."

With that he leaned back to loud complaints from the group. Jubilee, however, wasn't too worried she just laughed easily and lent against Remy feeling happier than she had in days. Soon the movie started, it was The Dukes of Hazard, and she settled in, content to just be with her friends. At first everything was going well until Jubilee became a wear of the fact that Remy was hardly relaxed, in fact he was tenser than he had been with Rogue before, a quick glance at his face showed her a completely calm expression. But it was a dead giveaway, he was far to calm for the current situation. On her other side, Sam was getting jumpy, his hand twitching on her shoulder, as though he had planned to move it but changed his mind. Bobby also seemed jumpy, shifting constantly in his chair and leaning forwards to comment about the movie in Jubilee's ear. Unfortunately half his remarks either were off time or not funny. Jubilee was becoming more and more uncomfortable as time went on and she worried someone was soon going to notice.

Finally she stretched widely, making Sam's arm slip from her shoulders in the processes. Shifting forward onto her knees she made a mumbled excuse about going for snacks before standing and ducking out of the room. True to her word, she went straight to the kitchen, hunting down a few random bags of snacks before opening the fridge to fish out a can of soda, finding none she settled for flavoured water and retreated from the fridges depths to crack open the seal and take a gulp.

While she drank she pondered her rather ridiculous situation, wondering what she should do about it. Sam and Bobby were her friends and sure they were great but she was definitely not keen on a relationship with either of them. She also couldn't keep using Gambit as her scapegoat, no matter how nice it was to cuddle up at his side. She was kidding herself if she thought it could lead to anything. Not that she thought that, or wanted that for that matter.

She growled out a curse and kneaded her forehead with her knuckles. Who was she kidding? Gambit was sexy, fun and one of the coolest people she knew. He had always been there, never judging, never pushing, just giving her support. He was her best friend and she was head over heels in lust with him. She was officially screwed.

"Jubilee?" The door creaked open behind her and the afore mentioned Cajun popped his head around it to observe her. "You ok, Chere?"

Yep definitely screwed.

"I'm fine, Rem." She assured him quickly, dropping her hand from her head and holding up the water for him to see. "Just in need of refreshments."

A teasing smile played across his lips and he slipped further onto the room. "What's wrong P'tite? Things getting a little hot for you?"

"You wish." She smirked back. "I just couldn't handle the company for much longer. Honestly, has no one heard of subtlety these days?"

"Ah you see P'tite, subtle doesn't always bring results." Remy strutted to her side, leaning his hip against the bench as he looked her up and down. "Subtle is far too easy to ignore, or flick off as your imagination. De Cowboy and popsicle have both tried subtle, it didn't get dem anywhere. So dey are doing for obvious in da hope it will prove profitable."

"Well they are goin' to be disappointed." Jubilee grumbled, leaning next to Gambit easily. "Subtle or no, I'm still not interested."

"Well day don' know dat." He smirked and nudged her.

"No." Jubilee admitted. "Because I never responded to their subtle approach. So now they think I was unaware of their flirting-"

"When really you were ignoring it." Gambit finished with a chuckle. "Ah de way things work out huh Chere?"

"So what do I do?" Jubilee looked up at Remy with pleading eyes, wishing he could solve her problems.

"Well, that depends." He mused his eyes flicking to the doorway.

"On what?" she questioned curiously, leaning towards him slightly.

He lent down, his lips even with her ear as he whispered to her. "On how well you play de game, Chere."

Pulling back his red eyes met hers briefly before his mouth brushed over her slightly parted lips. Fire shot through the shocked woman as her lips made contact with his, causing her to gasp against his mouth. A smile teased the corner of Gambit's mouth before her deepened the kiss, moving his lips against hers. Jubilee responded surprisingly quickly, her mouth moving in synch with his as she stretched on tiptoes to better access his mouth. A soft click shattered the otherwise silence of the room and Remy withdrew with a grin, eyes shooting to the door.

"Dere you go, Chere." He chuckled easily, trying to hide just how aroused he was by the kiss. "One down, now you just have to wait for old Bobby to tell Sam what he just saw and your free. You can thank meh later."

He threw a quick wink at the girl before turning and marching out the kitchen, rushing quickly up the stairs before any one saw him. Jubilee sagged against the counter and pressed her hands to her face, trying to push down the well of emotion that had sprung up within her. Had she said lust? Well this was much, much worse than that. Tears sprang to her eyes and she rushed from the room, up the stair and down the hall. Only when she had landed on her bed did she let go of her hold on herself. She was in love with Remy, and he cared for her as nothing more than a friend. Life sucks.

**OK so that's it guys, yea weird chapter set up I know, my writing never seems to make sense the days. Still I tried, don't kill me to bad.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Wow I have been gone a LONG time. You can hate me all you want, but honestly, life has been crazy insane. It****'****s been bad, it****'****s been good. I****'****ve had A LOT of problems. I can****'****t guarantee I'll be here to stay but I will do my absolute best. I hope I haven****'****t lost my touch with this. Please take this as a sorry gift.**

**Chapter 12: And all comes tumbling down.**

Jubilee's breath came in harsh sob's her tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. What was she to do now? She had let herself do the one thing she had sworn never to do. She had fallen in love, with a man who was older, sexier and far out of her league. Feeling stupid and childish she sat on her bed, heart aching and her lips still warm from where Remy's had pressed against hers. Stupid Cajun! He should never have done it. Didn't he realize what he had done?

_'Of course he didn't.' _She thought with a sigh._ 'How could he know I was this stupid, this insane, and this pathetic?'_

She hugged herself tightly, tears flowing faster. She needed somebody, anyone to hold her and tell her that it was going to be ok. But there was no one. She was avoiding half the school and she doubted telling Wolverine would bring about the result she wanted. A half sob, half laugh tore from her throat at the thought of that and she brought her hands up to her face in despair. There was nobody she could run to. The thought dragged her deeper into depression. What was she to do now? She couldn't face half the school and she couldn't look to Remy without the thought of what he had done coming to the forefront. She had ruined their relationship with her stupid female emotions. Things would never be the same. And she was all alone.

She stood suddenly, tears running down her face and mind in a mess. With no thought she bolted from her room, running down the hall to the stairs, which she took two at a time on her way up to the next floor. She didn't know why she was doing this, didn't know how it would help. But it was the only thing she could think of doing. She came to a sudden halt outside another room, her heart in her mouth and her despair almost tangible. It was her only hope.

Her hand raised and knocked on the door, before she allowed herself to think about what she was doing. There was a brief pause after her knock, and she almost turned and ran away. Like the scared little girl she had once been. But she forced herself to stand there as footsteps echoed from within and the door slowly opened. Blue eyes, bright with tears, rose from the ground where they had come to rest and surprise streaked across the face in front of her.

"Jubilee?" Psylockes voice contained more emotion than the girl had ever heard from the ninja. "What's happened?"

"I messed up." Jubilee chocked and broke down again, the tears flowing anew.

Psylockes arms wrapped around her instantly, drawing her into the room, away from everything. The door closed and no more was heard from the room for many long hours. The house grew quiet as people moved off to bed, or to other night time activities. The mind-readers of the house got no reading from the minds, closeted away in Betsy's room. But they were used to this; Psylocke's mind was always well guarded. It was Jubilee's mind they sort after and could find no trace. She was as good as gone from their sight. And yet they knew she was there. For now, that was enough. They would investigate come daylight.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere, in another room, on another floor. Remy lay awake in bed, his own mind spinning with thoughts of what he had done. Yes he had wanted to get Bobby and Sam off Jubilee's back, they were upsetting her after all, and they needed to realize it wasn't going to happen. But he could have done it differently. He could have taken the boys aside, had a talk to them. He hadn't had to kiss her. But he had wanted to.

He closed his eyes and saw it all reply over in his mind. Saw her lips, slightly wet from the water she was drinking and glistening in the light. Saw the smile that tugged at its edges and the little pout that always sat on her lower lip. He had seen her chest rise and fall slowly, with every breath she took and the shimmer of light the skimmed her collarbone. His eyes had tracked that light as it shimmered over her soft, supple skin and his fingers had itched to trace its path. His revive was broken when slight movement by the door had alerted him to Bobby's presence. And that was when his mind had abandoned him. His lips had descended to rest just beside her ear and his words had slipped from his tongue before he had realized what he was about to do. Then his lips were on hers and his mind switched off as his dreams became reality and he tasted the sweet essence that was Jubilee. He was content, in that moment, just to know that his lips had touched hers, but never had he imagined the excitement that took hold when her lips started to move with his and her body rose to angle her lips closer. His hand had skimmed her hip, ever so softly and he had earned to pull her body against his.

But then Bobby had slipped out, the door had swung closed and he had drawn away, his excuse tumbling from his lips like a guilty apology. But she had believed his every word, that he had seen. And it was that thought that kept him up now, tormenting him in the darkness of night. She didn't realize he had meant that kiss, didn't realize it was anything more than what he had said it was. Now he would have to face her tomorrow, knowing how he felt and knowing she had no idea. She would think he was as he had always been, Remy, her friend, her confident, her protector. Nothing more.

Remy's growl of frustration was low and barely noticable admits the soft sounds from outside his window. He dug his hands through his hair before shaking back the auburn locks and slipping into his calm and collected persona. Slipping from the bed, he moved soundlessly about the room, pulling jeans on over his underclothes and tugging a singlet over his head. After gathering a few, small positions into the pockets of his coat pockets he paused and gave the room a quick glance before moving to the window. Perching on the ledge, he though the window wide and glanced out into the black night. Yes, this was the right thing to do. So then why did his body not want to follow his brain? Why did he pause, when he should be leaping into the cool velvet of night?

"Running away, Gambit?"

The cool voice startled him and he glanced upward into the cold eyes of the assassin that stood on the roof above him. The cool, aloof look on Psylocke's face surprised Remy, after all they had always been friendly. Now, however, he sensed a deep loathing from the woman in front of him. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, even as he lent back on the window ledge.

"I don't think my night time activities are any of your business, mon amie."

"They are my business when they cause young distraught females to knock on my door." The dark haired beauty replied stiffly. "Or was it a different Cajun that did that?"

Remy paused a moment, mind spinning. _'__What was she talking about? He hadn't done anything to any young- Jubilee!__'_The answer hit him quickly and he mentally cursed at himself.

"What's wrong wit' da P'tite?" He questioned guardedly. "She was fine last a saw her. Better after I left actually. I don' see how me leaving for a bit would cause her any problems. Logan is always there if she needs help."

"True." Psylocke mussed impassively. "But Logan isn't the one who decided to play with her emotions. That was all your doing, _friend_."

She stressed the last word, adding an ironic lit to it that made Remy's brow twitch in irritation. "I don' remember doing anything of the sort." He hissed back in annoyance. "She wanted help wit' a problem an' I helped. I see no playing in that."

"Oh so you didn't kiss her and run?" Psylocke questioned bitterly. "You didn't make her think you cared for her before telling it was all just a ruse? You didn't walk away while her heart broke and she turned to me for help? That wasn't you? Well then excuse me, it seems I _have_ gotten the wrong Cajun."

"What are you talking about?" His angry hiss was low, so not to draw attention, even as his brain wanted to scream it at the dark assassin in front of him.

"For a man who prides himself on his ways with women you are being truly blind, Gambit." Psylockes look was almost pitying. "I will tell you this once only. Get back inside, go back to bed, and tomorrow you can face what you have done front on like a man. But if you leave, don't ever come back, because you will have no friends here after breaking the heart of a loving young woman and not having the bravery or heart to face her afterwards."

He felt his breath lock in his chest, making the words that screamed through his brain stay where they were, unable to force their way out. He need not have bothered trying though, for the skilled telepath quickly picked up the words he could not utter. A slow smirk rose on her face and she squeezed out a short, delicate chuckle.

"Oh Gambit, you've done it this time." She laughed again, low and quiet. "You really had no idea did you? All this time, it never once occurred to you that Jubilee might see you as something more than a friend, more than a confidant." A pale hand stretched out and gently pulled his chin up so he was looking into her eyes. "You can still fix this, Remy. You can fix her heart. You just need to try, and have faith."

She was gone as quickly as she had come, leaving nothing but the scent of her perfume and the confusion and panic her words had cause in her wake. Slowly but surely Remy pulled himself back into the room, discarding first his coat, then his pants and shirt before laying back down on his bed. Even as his eyes closed, his brain did not shut off. Instead it filled with idea's, plans and questions. But most of all, it filled with hope.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere, Betsy pulled herself through an open window, landing silently on the floor of the room. In the bed, a sleeping woman lay, her face still streaked with tears, her eyes puffy from her pain filled moments in the telepaths room. A gentle hand brushed a strand of dark hair from the pale face and red lips dropped a feather lite kiss to the exposed forehead. Not a sound crossed the older woman's lips as she let herself out of the room, making her way up to the attic of the mansion. There she joined to other women as they sat and wait for the next day and the events that came to pass.

Each was consumed with their own thoughts as they sat in silent company. One was worried for her oldest friend, for she knew that love would come hard to the man she saw as a brother. She prayed for him to have the strength to face this newest challenge and come out on top for once. The game of love had been cruel to Remy on one to many occasions, and the silver haired Goddess felt that he would not recover, should he loose this newest battle.

The second woman had only her young charges feelings in mind. The girl had already faced to many hardships for one so young. She had been constantly and consistently abandoned throughout her life and trust had not come easy. Logan had been the first to breach the girls high walls and Remy had followed soon after. But the red head was concerned that not even Logan would be able to fix her if she was to face yet another loss in her life.

Betsy was, as always unreadable. Not even her fiery haired companion could read the thoughts the consumed her mind and she had the feeling that she may not want to, even if she could. The assassin's mind was not something she would be keen to take a stroll through on a normal day, but today would have been much worse. For somewhere over the last few weeks, Jubilee's name had made its way onto the short list of people that Betsy truly cared about. That in itself was enough to worry her companions. Remy's life could very well be at stake should he mess this up.

**Ok that's all I've got for now. Happy days guys. Enjoy your Christmas.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Ok so this may come as a huge surprise, I am in fact updating for the first time in forever. I do plan on updating and finishing both this story and **_**New Beginnings: Back to Hogwarts**_**, or the next few weeks before continuing with **_**Hermione's unexpected life after school**_**. However this story takes priority as it is my oldest and favourite story. I plan on finally finishing it in the next few chapters.**

**Chapter 13: Standing tall.**

Jubilee stared into the mirror, examining every inch of herself with a critical eye, making sure everything was perfect. Her hand tucked a strand of hair back into the pin it had escaped before patting her intricate hair-do flat. Pins help her hair in a twisted, curled mass on her head, letting a few slim strands curl around her face, framing her soft features, accented with a slight hint of makeup. Her outfit, which consisted of a tight black skirt and a floaty, sapphire top, fit perfectly. The small blue boots complimented it well and gave her a bit of height. She smiled, showing a hint of mischief. Yes, everything was perfect. She would be fine, she would get through this day just like she had every other hard day in her life. She raised her delicate chin, putting on her most determined air before turning to the door of her room.

Time to face the music.

It had taken a long, deep talk with Betsy to finally convince Jubilee of what she must do. And now that she had made up her mind, nothing was going to stop her from doing what she planned to do. She would not run, she would not hide and she would not shirk her responsibilities. She was a woman, she was strong and she deserved to have her voice heard. That was why she was going to talk to Gambit, face to face. Adult to adult. She was going to tell him exactly how she felt and let the pieces fall as they may. There was nothing else left to do. And if she lost her best friend because of it then he wasn't really the friend she thought he was.

She walked out the door, and she didn't look back.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Remy sat in his room, staring out over the grounds from his window. The new days light filtered through, just beginning to reach his spot on the bed. His time to run was over, he had missed his chance and now he must face the consequences of his actions. His stomach was in knots, his throat felt tight, and his palms grew sweaty at the thought of what he was about to do. He had to find Jubilee, he had to apologise and tell her how he really felt, how he had been feeling for a long time now. Whatever came after was not the point. He might lose her, his best friend, his partner in crime, his little piece of joy. But at least he would have been honest, he would have tried, he would have no regrets.

'_And if she felt the same? What would happen- NO!'_ He cut himself off with a shake of the head. _'I can't think like that. Don't think, don't hope. Hope will only lead to pain when things don't turn out the way you want. Think only of the now.'_

He sighed and stood up. It was time to face what he had done. He took a quick glance at the mirror on his way out. Just to make sure he still looked his best, even if today could be the worst day of his life.

'_Or it could be the best.' _He glared at himself in the mirror. It would be what it would be, hoping wouldn't change that.

The walk down to breakfast seemed like one of the most terrifying things he had ever done. His heart was pounding and seemed to be located in his throat rather than his chest. His hands were clammy and seemed unsure if they wanted to be clenched or unclenched so they flicked between both options. Upon entering the kitchen he paused, one hand on the open door, his eyes scanning the gathered faces before him. Rogue was there, tucked firmly in between Ice-man and Colossus, Logan sat beside the large Russian, with Betsy, Jean and Storm in a line across from him. And then there she was. Jubilee was perched next to her surrogate father in an outfit that made his throat constrict even more. She hadn't noticed him yet, her eyes were on her breakfast, a small smile on her face and her checks tinted with the laughter that bubbled on her lips.

The world seemed to slow, his heart beat loudly in his chest as he watched Jubilee's head rise, her sapphire eyes flicking in his direction. Blue met red and Gambit felt his stomach drop out. His hand tightened on the doorknob, his muscles bunched and every instinct screamed at him to run. Her race grew thoughtful before merging into the look of determination that Remy knew so well. His body gathered itself, set for flight. Then Betsy cleared her throat, their eyes met and his hand left the door. His feet moved him smoothly toward the table and a charming smile lit his lips. His reached to ruffle Jubilee's hair, before changing path mid-way and settling on her shoulder instead. He slipped into the seat next to her, calm as could be and gave her a one-armed hug before accepting the cup of coffee Storm offered him.

"Morning, chere." The words rolled from his mouth naturally, even as he fought the writhing emotions inside him. "I like yo' hair, tres belle. What be the occasion?"

"Hey Rem'" Jubilee's smile lit up her eyes and she fingered a strand of her hair delicately, before shrugging and dropping her hands to her cup. "No reason, I just felt like a change is all."

"It suits you." He told her truthfully, smiling down at the young woman.

Conversation flowed naturally from there, with the x-men talking over plans for the day. Remy listened with only half an ear, his mind distracted by the petite girl at his side. The touch of her leg against his was a constant distraction as was her smile, and her laugh. He spoke little, fearing he would say something stupid or odd and bring everyone's attention to his discomfort. Fortunately, no-one noticed his in attention. Except Psylocke. Her gaze remind fixed on him, her eyes burning a hole in the side of his face. He was sure she read his every thought.

"So Rem'" Jubilee's voice broke thought his thoughts, "what was your plan for the day?"

His throat tightened and he had to clear it slightly before speaking. "No plan chere, what about yo'? Want to spend the day with a lonely Cajun?"

His hands began to sweat as his mind screamed that he was an idiot. What if she said no? What if she had plans? How on earth was he going to get her away from everyone else? He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts he didn't see the triumphant smile that flickered over Jubilee's lips, nor did he hear Psylocke's quiet snicker as she read his panic.

"I think I can be persuaded," Jubilee teased easily, her eyes glinting with mischief. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well I don' know chere,"Remy felt his heart lift slightly at the familiar banter, "How does a drive sound? I haven' taken my bike out since I tuned her, want ta do dis thief an honour and go fo' a ride?"

"Sides perfect, I'll go change and met you in the garage in ten."

She was out of the room in seconds, and Gambit felt his whole body slump as the energy drained out of it. This was it, his moment of truth had come. It was now or never.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

**A.N: I'm leaving it there, not to be mean but because I wanted to get this to you guys A.S.A.P and I'll have to continue the other part a bit later. The end is near guys. Hope ya'll like it. The next chapter should be out by the end of the week.**


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